The Crow's Game
by Lady of Rain
Summary: Saguru is very surprised to have almost the whole school giving him birthday gifts, but he gets more surprised when later at night, he finds someone dead because of his birthday gift. How come a birthday gift manages to turn his life upside down in a day?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 1**

 **A Murder**

When Saguru entered his classroom that morning, he saw his desk full of boxes wrapped in colourful and beautiful papers and some of them were decorated with ribbons. The blond was speechless. He only stood silent for a moment, staring at those eye-catching boxes in surprise.

"Wow, birthday presents in the morning! What a luck you have!"

Saguru was surprised hearing a sudden voice from his back. He turned his head, seeing one of his classmates standing behind him. The boy grinned teasingly before suddenly a white puff of smoke appeared and covered them, blinding Saguru from everything around him. When he was able to see again, the boxes on his desk had gone and his friend was already walking out of the classroom with a plastic bag full of colourful boxes in his hand.

"Kuroba- _kun_!" Saguru chased him annoyingly. "Hey, give it back!"

Kuroba Kaito laughed, running away from the detective. For a few minutes they were playing chase along the corridor. Kuroba kept jumping here and there and running around in circles as Saguru kept chasing after him—or rather chasing after the presents. When they finally reached their class again, Kuroba stopped running. With a bright smile he returned the presents to the birthday boy.

"Happy birthday, Hakuba," he grinned widely, "and welcome back. I give you this plastic bag as a present."

"Thank you very much, though my birthday was a few days ago," Saguru replied dryly. He snatched the plastic bag quickly before taking his seat. Just as he put down the plastic bag under his desk, a group of girls approached him, each of them gave him a birthday present. That morning soon became a busy time for the sleuth. His fans kept coming to his class, giving him presents in various sizes. Even Aoko and Akako also gave him their gifts. By the time the class was started, Saguru's birthday gifts had filled a corner of his classroom.

On the free period, another groups of his fans were coming. Gradually Saguru became tired of facing them. As soon as he saw a chance, the blond walked out of his classroom hurriedly. He did not want to deal with them anymore. He could not let his free period be wasted for them. He did not want to skip his launch, so a few minutes later, the half-Brit detective found himself on the rooftop, eating his _bento_ alone peacefully until Kuroba joined him with his mischievous grin.

"You're breaking your fans' heart, Hakuba. They were really disappointed when they couldn't find you," the magician teased him.

"As much as I don't want to upset them, I need to refill my energy," the detective replied nonchalantly. "And what brings you here, I wonder?"

"Eh? Rooftop is one of my favorite places. It's only natural for me to be here." Kuroba took a seat beside the sleuth. He unwrapped his bread from its transparent packaging, then he took a bite of it, munching it slowly. "It's not my first time having a lunch on the rooftop, surely you know that?"

The blond sighed. "Yes, I know. And it's not my first time having a lunch with you, but usually you're always with Aoko- _san_. Where is she?"

"She's in the class, keeping an eye on your birthday gifts with Akako and Keiko. That was quite funny, seeing them acting like your manager," Kuroba smirked in amusement. "You'd better appreciate them. Your fans are quite jealous of them, you know."

"I'll remember that."

"But you really are popular, huh. Today's just the first day after summer break and you already have so many gifts. I never thought those people will remember your birthday," the magician commented. "What to do, Hakuba? Your presents keep piling up and yet I have no more bags to share."

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll ask _Baaya_ to pick me up with a car," the blond replied.

"Heh, of course. I almost forgot how rich you are," Kuroba quipped. "So, how was your holiday? How was summer in London?" he changed the topic.

"Well, it's enjoyable..."

Saguru spent his free period with Kuroba on the rooftop, talking about their activity during summer break while eating their lunch together. When they had returned to their classroom, they found Saguru's presents had multiplied at the back of the class. Aoko, Keiko, and Akako were sorting them into a few plastic bags they had gotten from the cafeteria. Saguru thanked them and hurriedly lent them his hand. The detective had never encountered such an occasion in England, so he was really surprised and unprepared when he got so many birthday presents from his schoolmates in Japan.

The blond still received a few gifts after school. He put them all in the car when _Baaya_ had came to pick him up. _Baaya_ was surprised too when she found her young master receiving so many gifts on the first day of school. This event made her remember Saguru's valentine day in Japan. That day he also received so many chocolates, so many that it could not fit inside the car. The Hakuba's housekeeper smiled amusedly and teased him, calling him 'popular guy'. Saguru only blushed slightly hearing that nickname, did not give any comment. After all the presents had gotten into the car, they both immediately went home.

Along their way to home, Saguru accidentally saw some people he knew: two police officers who were walking on the sidewalk. They were members of KID task force. Saguru wanted to greet them, so he asked _Baaya_ to stop the car for a while. The officers greeted him back warmly. They chatted briefly about KID heist during summer break before they started to talk about Saguru's birthday presents. After a few minutes, they parted toward their own destination, but before that Saguru gave them some of his birthday presents, the ones that were foods because they only asked for the consumable ones. He allowed them to unwrap his presents to find the ones that they liked. The blond was sure he would not be able to eat all his presents alone, so he thought he might as well share it with those officers.

Saguru unwrapped his presents as soon as he got home. He received so many things from his fans. Candies, cookies, chocolates, stationeries, clothes, et cetera. He decided to share the consumable ones with _Baaya_ and the servants in his house. He also wanted to share it with his father who was still in his office. He planned to donate some clothes he did not like or did not fit his size. That night, the teen had been busy sorting out his presents when _Baaya_ told him that he got a call from the police. Saguru was a bit confused. Usually the police would contact him through his cellphone, not his home phone. If there was any call from the police through his home phone, usually it was for his father, the superintendent general of TMPD. Why did they call him through the home phone this time? But Saguru did not linger in his confusion for too long. He immediately walked toward the phone and put it to his ear.

"This is Hakuba Saguru."

 _"Hakuba-_ kun _, this is Inspector Megure from TMPD Division 1."_

Saguru lifted his eyebrows in surprise. Division 1? Homicide? He rarely had anything to do with homicide in Japan. What was going on?

"Ah, Inspector Megure. How may I be of assistance?" the blond asked.

 _"We need you to come to TMPD office. There is a murder case and we need your cooperation."_

"Cooperation?" Saguru frowned. That was odd. Usually the police would ask his assistance, not cooperation, since he was a detective. If the inspector used the word cooperation, then did it mean that somehow he was involved in this murder case? "What exactly has happened, Inspector?"

 _"The victim is a police officer, member of KID task force,"_ Megure answered. _"He died almost instantly after swallowing a chocolate. His friend told us that he got this chocolate from you."_

Saguru's eyes suddenly widened in terror. The victim was a police officer? A member of KID task force? Died after swallowing a chocolate from him? Then... then the victim was...

"Oh God." Saguru rubbed his forehead in shock. Someone died because of his birthday gift. He was shocked and sad when he remembered that the victim was his acquaintance, but he got more shocked when he realized that he could be the one who died if he did not give the present to that officer. If he did not die, then maybe _Baaya_ did. Or his other servants. Or his father. That was truly frightening. "I-I understand, Inspector. I'll be there as soon as I can."

As soon as he ended the call, Saguru asked _Baaya_ to drive him to TMPD building. He told her about his conversation with Megure. He ordered the servants not to touch his presents. After that he called his father, telling the superintendent about the murder case he was involved in and also warned him not to touch his presents. He put all of his presents inside his room and locked the door. The blond was afraid that some of the presents were also poisoned. He did not want to endanger anyone's life. One victim was more than enough.

After finishing his preparation, Saguru jumped into the car. _Baaya_ started the engine and a moment later, they were already on their way to the TMPD office.

" _Bocchama_ , do you think they might suspect you as the killer?" _Baaya_ asked along the way.

"It doesn't matter," Saguru answered. "I don't kill him and if they don't believe me, I'll just have to prove it to them."

"Does that mean you know how to prove your innocence?"

"Of course, _Baaya_. I'm a detective." Saguru turned his gaze to the street. He sighed anxiously. The blond was not worried about his status in this case. He did not really care if the police suspected him. He perfectly knew how to defend himself from accusation. What worried him was the reality that someone died after consuming his birthday present. That present was supposed to be eaten by him. By Saguru. Someone clearly wanted to kill him. Why would a person want to kill him? Who was that person? Saguru was nervous. This might not be the only time the culprit wanted to harm him. He might encounter another danger in the future. He had to be cautious.

TBC

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 **The main character of this fic is Saguru, so the story will often be told from his POV. I guess Kaito is the second main character, but I won't use his POV much in this fic. Shinichi/Conan will act as a supporting character. I think he already has more than enough experience as a main character. Haha...**

 **English isn't my mother tongue, so please forgive me and tell me if I made some mistakes. Constructive criticisms and suggestions are very appreciated, so please review! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 2**

 **Investigation**

Saguru and _Baaya_ walked toward the interrogation room as soon as they had arrived at TMPD office. Saguru entered first. There were two officers waiting for him inside the room. One of them was Inspector Megure, the other was Detective Chiba. After introducing themselves, they began asking a few questions to the teen.

"So, Hakuba- _kun_ , I believe you already know why you're here tonight?" Inspector Megure asked.

"Yes," the blond answered. "Inspector Megure, you told me that a murder had happened. The victim is a police officer and he died after eating a chocolate given by me."

"That's true. Do you know who's the victim?"

"No, but I have two officers in mind," Saguru replied. "I gave chocolates to Officer Ogawa and Officer Mikami, so the victim should be one of them."

"The victim is Officer Ogawa. Officer Mikami told us that you gave him that chocolate," Megure told him. "Hakuba- _kun_ , why did you give your chocolates to them? And why does Officer Ogawa's chocolate contain poison?"

"I gave them those chocolates because I have plenty of it. My birthday was just a few days ago and my friends in school gave me many presents today. Some of them are foods: chocolates, candies, cookies... I do not think I would have all of the presents for myself; it was simply too many for me, so when I met Officer Ogawa and Officer Mikami this afternoon, I decided to share my presents with them. They only wanted the consumable ones, that's why I gave them those chocolates," the blond explained. "They picked the chocolates by themselves. I didn't even know it was a chocolate. All the presents were still wrapped in papers. They unwrapped it by themselves and when they found the chocolates, they took it. If you ask me why it was poisoned, of course I do not know the answer," he paused before continuing, "ah, actually they also unwrapped many gifts besides those chocolates, but since they didn't like it, they didn't take it with them."

"Do you remember the sender of those chocolates?" Megure asked again.

"Rather than remember, it's more accurate if I say I did not see the sender," Saguru said.

"You didn't see the sender?"

"Yes. I have eidetic memory, so my ability to remember events is better than average people. I still remember the wrapping papers of those chocolates. Officer Ogawa's chocolate was wrapped in blue papers and Officer Mikami's was wrapped in green papers. I remember I found Officer Ogawa's chocolate on my desk at school. That's why I said I didn't see the sender."

"Hmm... I see..." Megure looked like he was thinking for a brief moment. After that, he returned his eyes at the teen. "When and where exactly did you meet Officer Ogawa? What were you doing that time?"

"I met Officer Ogawa this afternoon, around 4 o'clock. I was on the way to my home with _Baaya_. We went by a car and we met Officer Ogawa and Officer Mikami along the way, not far from my school, Ekoda High. They were walking on the sidewalk that time."

"Hakuba- _kun_ , you said you found the chocolate on your desk at school."

"Yes."

"Does your school have surveillance camera around that area? In your class too, maybe?"

Saguru shook his head. "There are several surveillance cameras in my school, but not in classes."

"Hmm..." the inspector rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hakuba- _kun_ , you also said that Officer Ogawa unwrapped the gift by himself."

"Yes."

"Does that mean you didn't touch the package?"

Saguru nodded. "I only touched the wrapping paper."

"Do you know where is that paper now?"

"I've disposed it into a trash bin near my house when I got home. Maybe it's still there."

"Okay," Megure said. "One more question, Hakuba- _kun_. What do you think of this case?"

Saguru blinked. "What do I think?"

"Yes."

"I... I think someone wants to kill me," the blond replied. "That chocolate was a present for me. It was supposed to be eaten by me. If I really ate it, then I'm sure the victim of this case would be me."

Neither Megure nor Chiba responded to the blond detective. The room was filled with silence for a moment until the inspector finally stood up.

"Alright. That's all for tonight," Megure concluded the interview. He offered a handshake to the teen. "Thank you for your cooperation, Hakuba- _kun_. After this we should interview your housekeeper. Please wait until we have finished."

"Yes, you're welcome," Saguru accepted the handshake. "Ah, Inspector, may I ask you something?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Please tell me what poison the culprit used."

"Oh, it was cyanide. It was found on the surface of the chocolate in lethal dosage."

"I-I see," Saguru took a deep breath, the he bowed. "Thank you very much, Inspector."

"No problem."

 _Baaya_ entered the interrogation room after Saguru's interview had finished. The blond sat on a bench at the corridor while waiting for his housekeeper. His mind was thinking deeply.

 _'Cyanide... lethal dosage...'_

That chocolate was really intended to kill a person. Someone truly wanted Saguru dead. The blond closed his eyes, trying to calm himself when he realized that he was so nervous. So this was how it felt when his life was in danger. So this was how it felt when somebody wanted to kill him. This was the first time Saguru's life had been targeted by a murderer. The blond had no idea why the culprit wanted to kill him. When he thought about it again, the only thing that could make a person had a grudge against him was his achievements as a detective. He had helped the authorities in capturing many criminals, so maybe the criminals' acquaintances did not like it and then they decided to kill him?

Saguru kept pondering until his father came to his mind.

Could it be that someone wanted to kill him because of his father's job? His father was a superintendent general. He had many achievements as a police officer. Perhaps some of the criminals had a grudge against him and if that was the case, it was possible the culprit wanted to kill Saguru only to take revenge on his father.

If it was not because of his job, then it was because of his father's job. That was the culprit's motive. At least, for now that was all Saguru could think.

Saguru snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a sound of door being opened. Detective Chiba looked out the door of interrogation room and when he spotted Saguru, he called the teen to enter the room once again. Saguru stood up and walked toward him, entering the room. When he had arrived inside the room, the blond saw _Baaya_ still sitting there with Inspector Megure.

"Ah, Hakuba- _kun_ ," the inspector smiled. "We just finished our interview with your housekeeper. There are some things we need to tell you both. Please have a seat."

Saguru sat beside _Baaya_. When he was sure the teen had sat down, Megure cleared his throat before he began to speak again.

"Hakuba- _kun_ , we will have to confiscate your presents to investigate this case further. We will send a team to your house as soon as possible."

Saguru nodded. "Alright. I understand."

"Have you given the presents to anyone else other than Officer Ogawa and Officer Mikami?" the inspector asked. "Or maybe you have used some of them?"

"No, I haven't given it to anyone else. I haven't eaten it, but I have used some of it that are clothes. I needed to check the size."

"That's good then," Megure nodded. "We will continue our investigation tomorrow at your school, Hakuba- _kun_ , so we will also need your cooperation tomorrow."

"Yes, Inspector."

"And we advise you to pay attention to your food. Please do not eat outside as much as possible. Bring your own _bento_ to school." Megure turned to _Baaya_. "Madam, please take care of him. We don't want anymore victim in this case."

"Understood, Inspector," _Baaya_ replied determinedly.

That night, the police confiscated Saguru's birthday gifts. Saguru felt a bit guilty toward his fans. They all remembered his birthday and even kindly gave him presents, but he probably would never be able to enjoy it.

The atmosphere in Hakuba residence became tense. The servants were nervous knowing that someone wanted to kill their young master. Both Saguru and his father had tried to ease their mind, but their efforts was not really effective. Saguru could not blame them. If he was in their position, he too would be restless. Now that the master could not eat outside, the servants were the only ones responsible for their master's food. If something happened to the master, of course they would become the primary suspects. How could they feel calm when they were in such a situation? Calming his servants would not be easy, that was why Saguru accepted the tense atmosphere in his home without complaining.

On the next day, TMPD's detectives came to Ekoda High to investigate Saguru's case. They investigated the camera footage, they interviewed Saguru's teachers and classmates. His friends were shocked when they knew that someone wanted to kill him through a birthday gift. The news about that case spread out quickly throughout the school. People talked about him all day, but Saguru did not mind. It was only natural that people talked about him when he was involved in a murder case. The blond did not really pay attention to them since he himself was quite busy with the case. He had to cooperate with the police and assist them as a detective. There was no way he would just leave the case to the authorities when he had the capability to help. He wanted to be free from the murder threat as soon as possible and for that reason he was very determined to capture the culprit.

Saguru did his best. Day and night he investigated the case. His mind was too occupied with it that he began distancing himself from his friends. He rarely had his lunch with them, always went to library every free period. Kaito and Aoko's mop fight could not distract him. Kaito's pranks were distracting—very distracting and very annoying—but instead of being pissed off as he usually was, the blond only ignored it as if it was nothing to him, as if it never happened. Saguru really did his best, but after two weeks without much progress, he started to fear his opponent.

Who was the culprit? Who? Saguru was a very capable detective. He had solved many cases. Thefts, murders, kidnappings, robberies, frauds, he had solved them all with the help of the authorities. Usually it would not take long. Usually he was able to solve cases in a matter of days, but this time it was two weeks! Two weeks and he still did not have any idea about the culprit! Whether he liked it or not, the blond had to admit that the culprit was very clever.

Saguru did not fear clever criminals, no. On the contrary, he was quite interested in them. His mind needed challenge and intelligent opponent surely would be able to provide a challenge for him. What made him fear them right now was another thing. This clever criminal wanted to kill him. Why? Saguru did not know the motive yet and it made him uneasy. He still did not know the culprit's purpose for wanting to kill him. Saguru still could not read the culprit's mind. In addition, his death would not be a simple matter. Hakuba family was a prestigious family. His death in the hands of murderer surely would affect Japan and England. He was a famous teenage detective in both countries. His father was a superintendent general. His grandfather had a very successful research laboratory business in Japan. Saguru's death could cause an uproar. The blond was afraid the culprit would make use of that uproar for another bigger crimes, another bigger crimes that he had not been able to foresee.

Saguru realized he was dealing with a difficult case. His opponent was strong, maybe as strong as Kaitou KID, or perhaps even stronger than the thief. The problem was this time his opponent was not a gentleman thief. He was not playing with Lupin. He was playing with someone else, a person more threatening and more sinister than Lupin.

His opponent was Moriarty. Saguru was playing a dangerous game.

TBC

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 **Thanks for reading. Review please.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 3**

 **A Talk On The Rooftop**

Kaito sighed, putting his smartphone in his trousers pocket when the teacher entered his classroom. Today's headline news was really troublesome. Kaito did not feel excited at all when he read it on his smartphone a while ago. The news told him that Suzuki Jirokichi challenged Kaitou KID again. The advisor of Suzuki Corporation had collected an emerald called Rainforest and he challenged the thief to steal it. Just how much resentment that old man had toward KID? He was so persistent when it was about the phantom thief. Why could not he just retire already and enjoy his remaining old days in peace? Also why did he choose to challenge him at a time like this when attempted murder of Hakuba Saguru was still a hot topic among people? Saguru was one of KID's rivals, so why did Jirokichi decide to challenge the thief when his rival was still busy with the murder case? Oh, wait, he still had KID Killer on his side. Maybe that old man did not really care about Saguru as long as KID Killer supported him. Man, that was cold.

Speaking of Hakuba Saguru, that detective became very annoying lately. He almost never talked with Kaito, ignored his friends, always ate his lunch alone in hurry, and always fled to the library in free period as soon as he had finished his lunch. The most annoying thing of all, he ignored Kaito's pranks. He ignored Kaito's magic! How dare he?! Kaito always knew that Saguru was an arrogant bastard, but that sleuth's attitude toward him these days were just too much. Too excessive. Just who did he think he was, ignoring his friend like that? Kaito understood the blond had a difficult case to solve. He understood that probably Saguru felt restless and depressed. After all, a murderer wanted to kill him, but still, he did not have to take his anxiety so seriously to the extent that he decided to push aside his friends. That was really irritating!

Kaito glanced at Saguru who was sitting a bit far in front of him in a different row. The detective looked focused on his notebook, but was that really a lecture note? Kaito doubted it was a lecture note since Saguru was genius. He did not have to pay attention in class only to understand high school lessons. Reading the textbook once or twice was enough for him. It also worked for him in reverse situation. He could understand the lesson just by paying attention in class and therefore the textbook was not really needed. Kaito suspected that the blond actually focused on something else. Something like his murder case, perhaps, and later in free period, that guy would run away again to library, avoiding his friends as usual. Unacceptable.

 _'_ _That's right, unacceptable. There's no way I'll let him do it again.'_ Kaito had decided. He would not let that happen again, not this time. He would put an end to the stupidity and stubbornness of his friend. That was why when the free period finally arrived, the magician rushed toward Saguru's desk. With his quick hands he took Saguru's _bento_ before the detective could lay his own hands on it. Saguru clearly was not pleased with Kaito's act.

"Kuroba- _kun_ , what a—" the blond did not manage to finish his words because suddenly Kaito grabbed his arm, dragging him out of the class forcefully.

"You're coming with me!" the magician stated cheerfully, swinging Saguru's _bento_ with one hand as the other one grabbing Saguru's arm.

"Why should I go with you?" Saguru retorted annoyingly.

"Because you've been very irritating. I can't bear it anymore."

"What the heck are you talking about? And where are we going?"

"Rooftop. Where else?" Kaito grinned. "It's been a long time since we had lunch together, hasn't it? We're going to have a long chat."

"We just ate lunch together two weeks ago," the blond muttered, but he did not try to run away. He just sighed as he let Kaito drag him to the rooftop. That magician would only pester him much longer if he tried to escape and Saguru did not want that to happen. He was not going to have that magician pranking him again.

Kaito returned Saguru's _bento_ when they had arrived at the rooftop. He took out his own lunch, a bread, from what seemed like nothing due to his magic trick. The magician sat down, beckoning the sleuth to have a seat next to him. Saguru sighed once again as he took a seat beside Kaito.

"So what's your problem?" the blond asked as he opened his lunch box.

"That's my line," Kaito replied. "Aren't you the one having problems? You've been ignoring me, ignoring Aoko too. You always shut yourself in library every free period. You're distancing yourself from us."

Saguru was taken aback. He just stared at his classmate for a few seconds. "I didn't mean to," he finally said. "I never have any intention to distance myself."

"Huh, that's good to know," Kaito snorted. "But really, you're so distant these days. You made people worried. What's your problem?"

"My problem, huh?" the blond looked down at his _bento_ , taking a slice of sausage with his chopsticks. "I guess it's the case," he said before putting the sausage into his mouth.

"Ha. I knew it." Kaito took a bite of his bread. For a moment they just sat there in silence, busy with their own lunch. After quite a while, the magician decided to speak again.

"What about the case?" he asked Saguru.

"It's difficult," the sleuth answered shortly.

"Yeah, I know, but why is it difficult?"

"I don't see why I need to tell you this, Kuroba- _kun_ ," Saguru replied, frowning at his friend. "Besides, don't you have something else to worry about? I saw Suzuki Jirokichi's challenge on the news this morning."

"Hey, I'm not KID! Could you please stop accusing me?" Kaito grumbled. " And you've been worrying us. You've been ignoring us! And you still think that you don't have to tell me anything? You're insufferable."

Saguru rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'm sorry. Sorry for making you worry about me. Sorry for ignoring you. But what's the point of telling you about the case? If you want to know, you can just read the papers. I'm sure the news is enough for outsiders."

"Outsiders?" Kaito's voice suddenly rose. "Ah, right, I'm an outsider. I have no business with that case. I have nothing to do with it. Is that what you mean?"

"Exactly," Hakuba nodded calmly.

"Argh, you bastard..." Kaito sighed exasperatedly. "Listen, Hakuba, I don't care what the papers said. I only want to hear it from you, okay? I want to hear it from you, so you have to tell me. Now."

"Why?"

"Because I know you're not yourself. I've never seen you like this before. You're so quiet. So distant. So different. I feel like I don't know you anymore," Kaito answered. "You're depressed, aren't you? This case is too much for you, right? If it's too much, then you should share it to ease your burden. I'm not a detective, so maybe I can't help you much, but at the very least I can listen to you. Besides, I'm a magician. My mindset is similar to criminal's. Maybe I can give you some advices from my perspective. Who knows?"

"Why are you so persistent?" Saguru asked. "This is about a murder case, you know. You never have any interest in this stuff."

"Yes, I'm not interested in murder stuffs, but right now it is important to me."

"Important? Why?"

"Because that murder is turning my classmate to someone else," Kaito said. "I don't like you, Hakuba, but this new version of yours is more annoying and unbearable. I can't stand it."

"Really? But I often go overseas, so I don't think it's a problem if you can't stand me, Kuroba- _kun_ ," the detective smirked.

"Oi, just get it already!" Kaito huffed in frustration. "As much as I hate you, you're still my friend. Just tell me everything, will you?"

"Hmph. What a troublesome hatred you have," Saguru commented amusedly. "Fine, I'll tell you if you insist. Perhaps I can gain something valuable from your criminal mindset."

"Magician mindset," Kaito corrected before he nodded in satisfaction. "Okay. So, the case. What about it?"

"Well, as I said before, it's difficult," Saguru answered. "As you already know, the culprit most likely wanted to kill me through a chocolate. The weapon was cyanide and according to the forensics, it coated the surface of the chocolate. Coincidentally, I gave that chocolate to Officer Ogawa, a member of KID task force, and at the same day on the evening, he ate it. He died as soon as he consumed it."

"Go on," Kaito said.

"The forensics didn't find any trace of poison in the other presents, so the culprit only used that chocolate as a murder weapon. They also didn't find the culprit's fingerprint. They didn't find it in the chocolate. They couldn't find it on the package and the wrapping paper either. When the police investigated the case in our school, they checked camera footage and interviewed our teachers and classmates. From this investigation, they found out that Keiko- _san_ was the one who put that chocolate on my desk, but Keiko- _san_ only did it on behalf of someone from the outside who claimed to be my fan. Keiko- _san_ described that fan as a woman with black long hair, wearing a scarf and a jacket. She also wore a glasses, a mask, and a pair of knitted gloves. Keiko- _san_ told us that that woman had a hoarse voice like a person who had a cold and judging by her outfit, she thought that maybe that person truly had a cold. That woman was standing near the school gate when Keiko- _san_ arrived. She immediately asked her to deliver the chocolate to me."

"Yeah, the whole school already knows that. So?"

"Well, after that, as you already know, Keiko- _san_ left the chocolate on my desk. She said that some presents were already there when she arrived at class. She also didn't lie about that woman. There was a surveillance camera recording her with that woman in front of the gate, so the police searched for that woman," Saguru continued. "But unfortunately, they couldn't find her. they've been looking for her for more than two weeks, but she's still nowhere to be found."

"Is that why you've been anxious lately? Because they haven't found that woman?" Kaito asked.

"That and some other things," Saguru said.

"Some other things?"

"Yes." Saguru glanced at the magician. "Kuroba- _kun_ , why do you think a person wants to kill me?"

"Huh?" Kaito was taken aback for a moment. "Oh, umm... maybe because you've arrested someone important to that person?"

"Other than that?"

"Maybe that person has a grudge against your father? Against your family?" Kaito suggested. "Or maybe you know something that you shouldn't know?"

"I know something I shouldn't know?" Saguru frowned.

"Yeah. You see, it's just like common crime stories. Someone accidentally witnesses a crime and then the culprit realizes it and tries to kill that person to protect the crime. Or someone accidentally stumbles into a place where there are some criminals exchanging secret information. Maybe that person doesn't hear it or even if that person hears it, that person doesn't understand its meaning, but the criminals don't know that. They assume that person hears everything and knows everything and that's why the criminals want to kill that person. Something like that," Kaito explained, then he frowned. "Wait. You haven't experienced those stuffs, have you?"

"As far as I remember, I haven't."

"Then that's good," Kaito replied. "By the way, why did you ask me about this? You haven't found the motive yet?"

"Unfortunately yes. It annoys me to no end. I'm getting tired trying to figure it out," Saguru sighed wearily. "Not to mention there have been some other things in my mind, some very disturbing things."

"Tell me," Kaito said.

"Well..." Saguru looked at his friend for a while before he finally asked, "what do you think will happen if I get murdered?"

"Eh?" Kaito blinked, then he pouted. "Hey, why are you asking me again? I'm supposed to be the one who ask, not you."

"But you promised you will provide me with your perspective. It's only fair if I ask you some questions too," Saguru retorted lightly. "So? What do you think will happen if I get murdered, Kuroba- _kun_?"

Kaito scowled. He still did not like the idea of Saguru also throwing him some questions. He had been under the impression that he would be the only one asking and Saguru would be the one answering, but promise was promise. He was not a gentleman if he did not keep his promise.

"Fine. I get it," the magician relented. "What will happen if you get murdered, huh? Let's see..." Kaito shuffled his cards that suddenly appeared out of nowhere as he thought deeply to answer his classmate. "One thing for certain, people you know will be sad. They will mourn your tragic death. Your fans will be grieving. Both Japan and England will lose their talented and promising teenage detective. There will be a huge news since you're not just a famous detective, but also a member of Hakuba family. I know how reputable your family is. And since you're famous and come from a reputable family, the authorities will do their best to solve your case. Maybe Detective Mouri and your counterpart from Osaka—Hattori, right? I think the news said that his name is Hattori—they may try to investigate your death too. It's going to be a hot topic among people. They will always talk about you." Kaito paused. He stopped shuffling his card, looking up at the clear sky. "Kaitou KID will lose one of his rivals. I guess he'll get bored easily after you're gone."

Saguru stared at his friend with wide eyes. The last sentences... somehow it made his heart ache. Kaito looked sad although Saguru wondered if that expression was real; after all, the magician was a skilled actor too. Unable to give any reply, the detective decided to keep quiet. He just looked at his classmate, waiting for him to talk again. After a while, the magician sighed heavily.

"Honestly, I don't like talking about your death. I don't like thinking you've gone forever. It's... sad," he said. "I can't imagine how I'll react to your death—that kind of death, being murdered—that's just so heartbreaking."

"But I thought you don't like me," the sleuth replied.

"Yeah, I don't like you, but that doesn't mean I want you dead. You're my friend, Hakuba."

Saguru smiled. "I see."

"Hakuba?"

"Yes?"

"Don't die."

Saguru chuckled. "I don't intend to die so soon. Rest assured."

"Good to know," Kaito grinned. "So. Your death. Is this something that's been bothering you?"

"Yes," Saguru nodded. "As you said before, it seems my death will become a controversial topic. I've been wondering what kind of advantage the culprit will have from it. How will they make use of my death? What will they do after succesfully killed me? Are they planning something bigger, something more cruel than murdering me? What are their plans? What are their purposes?"

"Hmm... so you're afraid your death is only a part of a bigger plan of a criminal mastermind," Kaito concluded. "This seems scary. Dangerous."

"I know. That's why it's been bothering me," Saguru said. "Not to mention there is this restlessness in my house, it really isn't comfortable. And my freedom's been limited ever since that murder happened. I won't be able to eat as much as I want until this case is solved."

Kaito glanced at his classmate, wondering how much pressure he had been under. The case certainly had changed many things in Saguru's life. It limited his freedom, it took the comfort of his own home, it confiscated his mind, and if he ever let down his guard, it might take his own life. Somehow Saguru's life became similar to Kaito's life. Being a Kaitou KID, Kaito also did not have much freedom. He had to sacrifice his youth to perform heists, to challenge the police, and to capture Snake's organization. Those things always needed careful planning, so his job as a phantom thief also confiscated his mind. It also took his comfortable life because being Kaitou KID meant endangering himself. The thief had a dangerous enemy, Snake and his organization. They always wanted to kill KID. Kaito would have been dead by now if he had not been cautious all along.

"What are you going to do from now on?" Kaito asked his friend.

"I'm going to investigate it further, what else?" Saguru answered. "The police allow me to join their investigation. They are willing to share their information with me. My father also supports me. I'm going to take advantage of them."

"Why do I have a feeling you'll command them behind the scene?" Kaito chuckled. "You know, if Kaitou KID is a phantom thief, then you're going to be a phantom cop."

"You're exaggerating," Saguru smirked. "Speaking of KID, I'm sure you're going to accept the challenge, right? Good luck on your next heist."

"Oi, I'm not KID," Kaito scowled. "How long are you going to suspect me? If you want to tell that to KID, just tell him by yourself."

Saguru smiled amusedly. "Don't worry, I just told him. I wouldn't wish him good luck if I intended to meet him, you know."

"Again, I'm not KID. And what do you mean by that? You're not going to the heist?"

Saguru nodded. "KID Killer most likely will be there, so I believe my presence won't be needed. Besides, I have my own case to solve. Between Lupin and Moriarty, I think we both know which one is the most important."

"Well, you've got a point there," Kaito murmured. "Moriarty, huh? I really hope it isn't that bad."

"so do I, but that possibility remains," Saguru said.

"How unsettling," the magician commented. "But you're a capable detective and you have a whole TMPD supporting you. I guess I have nothing to worry about."

"Did you just praise me, Kuroba- _kun_? I'm flattered," Saguru grinned. "But thanks anyway. This conversation is quite enjoyable."

"You'd better remember this day. I'm not going to forgive you easily if you ignore me again."

Saguru smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Hakuba?"

"Hm?"

"Be careful. Your opponent is good."

"Yeah, I know."

"And Hakuba?"

"Yes?"

"Good luck on your case."

"Thank you."

"By the way, we still have a few minutes before class started," Kaito said as he looked at his phone clock. "Oi, Hakuba, you're going to stay here with me."

"What? Why?" the blond looked at his friend confusedly.

"I'm not going to let you go to library again."

"But I can't do anything here. I'm wasting my time."

"No, you're resting. It's not bad to have a rest once in a while." Kaito smiled widely before lying down on the roof, taking a deep breath. "The weather is nice today. Can you feel the breeze? And the sky is clear too. Why don't we enjoy it while we can?"

Saguru only looked at his classmate for a few seconds before he turned his gaze toward the blue sky. The clouds shaded them from the sun and the wind blew their hair softly. It felt... nice.

 _'_ _I guess a little rest won't hurt.'_ the blond finally decided. He lay himself next to Kaito, closing his eyes and enjoying the summer breeze. Kaito turned to look at his half-Brit friend, smiling softly when he saw Saguru's peaceful face. Both of them only lay still for a moment, enjoying the nice weather until Saguru opened his eyes abruptly when he suddenly remembered something. The blond turned his head toward Kaito, looking at him with a serious expression.

"Kuroba- _kun_ ," he began, "I do follow your advice this time, but I have to emphasize that we're not going to skip class. Do I make myself clear?"

"Aww," the magician sighed dramatically, "there goes the fun."

TBC

* * *

 **Alright, this is chapter 3 for you! How is it? Any comment? Don't hesitate to leave a review. I'll be glad to receive your feedback.**

 **Thank you very much for your support. Thanks for reading, for all your favs, follows, and review. Thanks a lot! See you next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 4**

 **A Sudden Turn of Event**

It was crowded. Noisy. There were people everywhere, never stopped talking. There was a traffic jam caused by the mass gathering along the way. Car horns were blaring continuously. It was nighttime, yet the town looked as busy as when it was on daylight. Saguru folded his arms across his chest, looking far toward a building called Grand Suzuki Museum, his destination on tonight's trip. Next to him, _Baaya_ was driving their car slowly through the crowd, determined to take her young master to the museum safely.

 _"Nee, Baaya,"_ Saguru said, "please remind me again why I'm here?"

"You're here because Advisor Suzuki asked your help to catch KID," _Baaya_ answered, "and you simply couldn't reject him because your grandfather told you to help him."

"Right." Saguru sighed. He still could not believe what had happened. Two days ago he told Kaito that he wouldn't come to KID heist, but here he was tonight, on his way to attend the very same heist. It happened so suddenly, unexpected and unpredictable. Saguru had never worked with Jirokichi, so when that old man visited his house yesterday, the detective was really surprised. His shock was increased when Jirokichi also asked his help to catch Kaitou KID. Saguru refused it at first, telling Jirokichi that he had an important case to solve, but the advisor was persistent. He promised that he would ensure Saguru's safety. He told him that he had many private security officers, that he had very competent bodyguards. He was confident he could protect Saguru from whoever that wanted to harm him, but Saguru's decision remained the same. He rejected Jirokichi for the second time. He only changed his mind this morning when his grandfather called him. His grandfather asked him to help Jirokichi. It turned out that his grandfather was Jirokichi's acquaintance. Saguru did not know about it at all. As far as he knew, Hakuba Corporation never had any kind of relationship with Suzuki Corporation. After all, they worked in completely different field; If Suzuki mainly worked in business property (they owned Grand Suzuki Museum, Bell Tree Tower, and Bell Tree Express, for examples), Hakuba's business was more focused on science field, such as a research center with medical laboratory and forensic laboratory. With such a difference between their works, Saguru had never expected his grandfather to be an acquaintance of Suzuki Jirokichi.

Saguru was an obedient child. He was raised to have respect for the elders. That was why he found it to be very hard to say no to his grandfather. He could not reject his grandfather, not when all he asked of him was only to help Jirokichi in capturing the phantom thief. In the end, Saguru relented. He obeyed his grandfather. As soon as he ended his call with his grandfather, Saguru called Jirokichi to tell him that he would be willing to assist him in the upcoming heist. And so, here he was tonight, amid the crowds that existed solely for the phantom thief, together with _Baaya_ on a trip to the heist's location despite his initial intention not to involve himself in tonight's heist.

 _'Sorry, Kuroba-_ kun _. It turns out I couldn't wish you luck tonight,'_ the blond thought as he smiled ironically. He had not told the magician that he would join the heist, but he was sure that Kaito was prepared to have his company. The thief was always cautious after all. He would not overlook Saguru when the detective was clearly in Tokyo regardless of his previous statement to him.

"Speaking of heist, _Bocchama_ , are all this people gathering here to watch that thief? The heist is still two hours away! Why are they already here?" the housekeeper complained, clearly irritated by the crowd that blocking the way to the museum.

"It's Saturday night. They have plenty of free time," Saguru answered. Actually one of the reasons why he wanted to arrive around 2 hours before the heist was to avoid the crowd, but it looked like his wish did not come true. The other reasons were to take a look at the heist location, memorize the building, deduce KID's trick and make plans to counter it, learn KID task force's and Suzuki Jirokichi's strategy, and adjust himself in his very first Jirokichi's challenge heist.

"Why are they so interested in a criminal? I can't understand them," _Baaya_ grumbled.

"KID is a genius magician, _Baaya_. His magic show is always impressive."

"W-well, maybe that's true, but still, a criminal is a criminal. We shouldn't support him even if he's good at entertaining people," the housekeeper argued, then she sighed. " _Bocchama_ , please don't lose to that thief. You can't let him roam free any longer, gathering admirers everywhere like this," she said. " Besides, you're not alone this time. There will be KID Killer too. I'm sure it will be easier for you to catch KID with his help."

"It will be good if that's the case," Saguru replied, "but we still can't underestimate KID. That thief has assistant and we don't know yet how many assistant he has. In other words, it's not just me who's going to have allies. KID has his own allies too."

"But you'll be the winner, _Bocchama_. I'm sure you will," _Baaya_ said confidently. "This has never happened before, you and KID Killer attending the same heist together to catch KID. Surely that thief will get arrested this time!"

Saguru laughed. "You're as energetic as ever, _Baaya_. Thank you for your encouragement."

Their car finally arrived at the museum. Saguru asked _Baaya_ to stay in the car for precaution before he went into the building. As soon as he was inside, Inspector Nakamori greeted him enthusiastically. The inspector brought him to Jirokichi who was waiting in the monitor room together with KID Killer and the Mouris. Saguru also spotted another teenage girl whom he had known as the heiress of Suzuki Corporation, Suzuki Sonoko. The girl was looking at him interestedly, eyes sparkling with... admiration? Enthusiasm? As far as he knew, Sonoko was a fan of KID, so the sleuth had thought that she would not like him, but it seemed he had guessed wrong.

"Hakuba- _kun_! Thank you so much for coming!" Jirokichi welcomed him happily, then he turned to the others inside the room. "Let me introduce you all, this is Hakuba Saguru, a high school detective. His father is the superintendent general of TMPD and his grandfather is an acquaintance of mine. He had worked with KID task force several times and he had shown a remarkable achievement in KID heists. Today he will be assisting us in capturing KID."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Saguru bowed politely, then he smiled at a little boy in front of him. "Long time no see, Edogawa- _kun_. Shall we work together again?" he offered a handshake to the the boy who smiled back at him excitedly.

"Sure!" Conan Edogawa accepted his handshake. "Let's work together, Hakuba- _niichan_!"

"Oh, you two already know each other?" Jirokichi was surprised.

"Yes. We've met before on several occasions," Saguru answered.

"In cases, I presume?"

"Indeed," the blond nodded. "But I have to admit I'm surprised to see everyone's already here. I thought I came too early."

"Your grandfather told me that you'll come early long before the heist time for preparation. Inspector Nakamori also told me that you often come early in every heist, that's why I asked Detective Mouri and Conan- _kun_ to come early too," Jirokichi answered. "I thought you might like it this way, Hakuba- _kun_. Your preparation will finish quickly if the others also came as early as you, right?"

Saguru smiled. "Yes. It really helps. Thank you very much."

"Nah, don't mention it. I'm the one who ask for your help after all."

"So, Hakuba- _kun_ —oh, you don't mind if I call you that, do you? Ran told me that we're at the same age," Sonoko interrupted.

"I don't mind, Suzuki- _san_. It's true that we're at the same age," Saguru replied friendly. "What is it that you want to ask?"

"Well, I've been wondering... if you've worked with KID task force quite often before, how come you never attended uncle's challenge heist?"

"That's because I was in England that time. I often went there to visit my mother or to help Scotland Yard," Saguru explained. "I just returned here around three weeks ago, actually. I spent almost all of my summer break in England."

"Oh, so that's why we've never seen you," Sonoko replied. "And you're a detective, but we rarely heard anything about you. Is this because you're often in England?"

"Yes. I figure England needs me more than Japan. Japan already has Hattori- _kun_ and Kudo- _kun_ after all, though Kudo- _kun_ 's been missing recently," the blond said. "But there are also Detective Mouri and our KID Killer here, so I think Japan will be fine without me."

"But we need an extra hand to catch KID, Hakuba- _kun_ , so why don't you stay here permanently this time?" Jirokichi joined in. "I'm sure you don't have a challenge like KID in England, right?"

"Well, it's true that I've never had such a challenge in England, but then again, KID is an international thief. If an interesting jewel appears in England, I'm sure he'll go there eventually. He's been here only because lately Japan has many interesting targets for him. Not to mention you're always providing him with those big jewels, Advisor Suzuki," Saguru said. "And I'd rather work in a place that needs me most, so I think I'll still prioritize England over Japan."

"Ah, is that so... that's too bad," Jirokichi commented. "Oh well, but it's your life, so of course we can't force you. It's enough for me that you're willing to help us today, Hakuba- _kun_. I'll be counting on you."

Saguru smiled politely. "I'll do my best, Advisor."

After a brief moment of introduction, Jirokichi brought his guests to the jewel room. The emerald called Rainforest was stored in a glass box inside a special room. Jirokichi told them that if the box got touched by unregistered member, that person would get electroculated until fell unconscious and the room's temperature would change drastically to slower the intruder's movement should the electric trap failed. For this trap, that special room was equipped with an advance HVAC system to control the temperature and humidity. The ability of the jewel's room were not only that. It also capable to imprison the intruder right after the intruder tried to steal the jewel. Once it was closed, the room could not be opened without the cooperation of registered member, such as Jirokichi himself. To open it, members needed to register their fingerprint, voice, and iris pattern. That was why it would not be easy to open it again. Added with police security and Nakamori's tactic to keep the officers at their respective posts at all costs, it surely would be hard for any thief, including KID, to get the jewel and escape at the same time.

From Saguru's perspective, the security system was impressive, but still, their opponent was Kaitou KID, the Heisei Lupin. He had no trouble in impersonating people's voices and taking someone else's fingerprint was a piece of cake for him. Saguru would not be surprised if it turned out that the thief was also capable at stealing iris patterns. After all, it was only a data in the end and all data could be stolen.

"It will be good if KID can't get out of this room, but history tells us that he always managed to get out," Saguru said. "I think we need to make plans to counter the worst situation."

"Yes," Conan agreed. "Hakuba- _niichan_ , where do you think KID will go after stealing the jewel?"

"Probably not the rooftop. There are helicopters patrolling, so flying from there will be difficult," Saguru answered as he rubbed his chin. "He can always disguise himself as a police officer though, since visitors aren't allowed inside during the heist, but that option also has weakness since Inspector Nakamori has ordered his officers to stay at their posts at all costs, which means if an officer who has been assigned to guard inside suddenly being found outside the museum, officers at the outside will immediately suspect him as KID."

"So I guess it means he will have to replace some officers, right? He may sedate both officers from inside and outside, immobilize his victims so that they won't be able to report their condition, replace them until he can get out of the gate, but that method is risky too because Inspector Nakamori also ordered the officers to monitor every gates," Conan said.

"Yes. It's difficult to get out in normal way, so I guess KID must have planned some tricks."

"But don't you think KID might use Inspector Nakamori's voice to change the order?"

"It's possible, but I doubt it will be that easy this time. Inspector Nakamori has learned many things. He ordered his officers to stay at their posts because he doesn't want KID to impersonate him. Remember what he said? At all costs," Saguru pointed out. "Besides, I doubt KID will leave in normal way when he has so many audiences outside the gate. He's a showman after all."

"Right," Conan nodded in agreement. "I wonder what kind of trick he's going to use."

"I'm curious about that too," Saguru smirked, then he looked at his watch. "The heist will start at 9 pm. We still have 1 hour, 24 minutes, and 36 seconds until then. Why don't we take a look around, Edogawa- _kun_? Maybe we'll find something interesting."

"Sure!"

Saguru and Conan took a walk around the museum for a few minutes, observing and memorizing everything inside the building. They were talking about the possibility KID has an assistant in one of the helicopters when suddenly Saguru got a text in his phone. It was from an unknown number. The blond immediately read it and when he had finished reading it, his eyes widened.

"Hakuba- _niichan_?" Conan called him. "What's wrong?"

Saguru did not answer. He looked at the boy thoughtfully before finally he decided to give his phone to him, letting Conan read the text by himself.

 _SOS. Confidential._

 _1412_

Conan held his breath, looking up toward the blond teen. Saguru only nodded his head, then he smiled meaningfully at the little boy.

"Shall we take a look at the yard?" he offered his hand.

The little boy smiled back, nodding his head as he took Saguru's hand. "Let's go, _niichan_!"

Saguru held Conan's hand as they walked together to the yard. As soon as they were outside, Conan and Saguru looked for a particular place, a place where there were no police officers or surveillance cameras. They decided to get outside because in the first place they wanted to avoid any kind of surveillance; there were many surveillance cameras inside the museum and their space was limited there. People could hear them easily, but it was different when they were outside. Their space was wide and although there were many police officers guarding the yard, they most likely would not be able to hear them since the crowds outside were so noisy.

After a while searching, they finally found an ideal place behind the museum. They did not find any surveillance camera there even though they found some police officers in the area, but that was not a problem because they were far enough from them to hear their voice and they certainly did not have any suspicion toward them. When they were sure that the place was fit for their needs, Saguru sent a text to the unknown number, telling the person on the other end that they were already outside in an ideal place to keep any secret. Not long after that, the unknown number called him.

" _Good evening_ , Tantei-san," Saguru could hear a familiar voice from his phone. _"I'm sorry to disturb you so early before my heist is even started, but I'm in need of your assistance right now."_

"I'm not helping in any kind of crime and mischief," Saguru replied. His feelings were complicated, a mixture of anxiety and excitement. It was not normal for Kaitou KID to text him, let alone call him. And his text was certainly unsettling. What was the meaning of that SOS?

Normally Saguru would not trust an unknown number, but he could not think of anyone else who was able to obtain his phone number other than KID. Saguru had never given his phone number to just anyone. The only ones that should know his number were his family, _Baaya_ , Inspector Nakamori, some officers from Scotland Yard, a few friends from London, Hattori Heiji, Konno- _sensei_ , and some of his classmates including Kuroba Kaito, the real person behind Kaitou KID. Since the unknown person claimed to be the thief and Kuroba Kaito definitely knew his number, Saguru was willing to take a chance. He was willing to trust that text, especially when it had something that sounded dangerous in it. He told Conan because he thought the boy might be able to help. Conan was KID Killer after all and they had agreed to work together in this heist, so it was only fair to tell him when he got a text from the thief.

 _"Relax, I'm not going to make you a criminal,"_ KID said. _"I just want to warn you. This museum is full of bombs."_

"W-what?" Saguru was shocked for a brief moment before he frowned in suspicion. "Hey, this is just one of your distractions, isn't it?"

 _"No. I'm very, very serious. I'm in the middle of defusing one of them."_

Saguru started to feel worried. KID defusing a bomb on the day of his heist? Was this real? "You're joking, aren't you?" the blond asked in disbelieve.

 _"Like I said, I'm very serious! This isn't a joke!"_ the phantom thief replied desperately. _"You have to believe me,_ Tantei-san _. I have an explosive right in front of my eyes! It is also radio-controlled. You know what that means, right?"_

"Yeah." Saguru swallowed nervously. Of course he knew. It meant that that bomb could explode anytime. "How many bombs have you seen?"

 _"Twenty five. I'm defusing the first,"_ the thief answered. _"It's all over the building,_ Tantei-san _, and it's not easy to be tamed. I'll text you the location later. I'm still busy with this baby."_

"Where are you?"

 _"Ventilation shaft, right wing of the museum. It really is uncomfortable to defuse a bomb in such a tight place,"_ KID sighed in annoyance. _"Well, since it turns out like this, I'm afraid I might have to cancel the heist."_

"You'll cancel it?"

 _"Eventually, maybe, but not now. I still need people to believe that my heist will be started soon if I want to save people from explosion. You do understand what I mean, don't you?"_

"I do," Saguru replied. He did understand. If KID canceled his heist right now, all police officers inside the museum would be mobilized outside. If the culprit saw that, they might explode the bombs immediately. If that happened, there would be many casualties. The building would be destroyed. People would die. Saguru did not want that. Nobody wanted that except the culprit.

 _"Since you understand what I mean, then I guess it won't be too much if I ask you to work together with me?"_

"Doesn't look like I have another choice, so yes, I guess I'll cooperate with you this time."

 _"Very good,"_ the thief replied in satisfaction _. "Please inform Inspector Nakamori and_ Tantei-kun _about this, and please be discreet. We don't want the bombs to be exploded before we could save ourselves, do we?"_

"I got it, but why didn't you tell Inspector Nakamori yourself?"

 _"Why do you think I choose you,_ Tantei-san _?"_ the thief chuckled. _"I don't have time to explain such things now, so why don't you try to figure it out?—uh-oh. This is bad—no no no no..."_

"KID?" Saguru called the thief worriedly. "Are you okay?" After a few seconds without any reply, Saguru started to feel uneasy.

"KID? You still there?" the teen asked again, hoping the thief would answer him. Conan only watched him, looking very concerned.

"Hey, KID! Answer me!" Saguru was scared. If anything happened to KID, he did not know what to do. The blond was almost going to shout out loud when he heard a relieved sigh on the other end.

"KID?" He called again. When he heard the thief's voice a second later, Saguru breathed in relief.

 _"Sorry,_ Tantei-san _. I had a trouble just now,"_ the thief said. _"Don't worry, I'm fine."_

"You scared me," Saguru grumbled annoyingly. "You sure you're okay?"

 _"Yes. Everything is under control, but I'm afraid I'll have to end our conversation. I need to concentrate or else I'll kill myself—this baby is a real art. I'll leave the rest in your capable hands. Until later!"_

"Hey, wait—" but Saguru was late. The thief had ended the call. Saguru looked at his phone for a moment before he sighed in frustration.

"Hakuba- _niichan_ ," Conan looked at the blond worriedly, "did you really just say bombs?"

"Yes," Saguru answered. "It's radio-controlled, meaning it may explode anytime. KID is trying to defuse it. So far he's seen twenty five, he's working on the first." The blond bit his lips nervously. "We will have to inform Inspector Nakamori and Advisor Suzuki."

"What about the heist?"

"He'll do it. The show must go on or else the bombs will explode before we're ready." Saguru glanced at his watch. "Assuming the bombs will explode as soon as the heist started... we only have 57 minutes and 43 seconds."

"We have to hurry, Hakuba- _niichan_!" Conan said desperately.

"I know, but we can't act careless. The culprit might have been watching us," the blond replied. "There are still 24 bombs here if we assume KID has defused the first. Less than 57 minutes for 24 bombs, I'm not sure we can make it in time."

"But we should do something to evacuate people!"

"That's true, but don't forget the culprit may explode the bombs using a controller if they realize we have found their bombs. We can't just make people evacuate. We still need a few people inside to trick the culprit."

"Then we will need to defuse some of the bombs too, at least to make it safer for people who need to stay inside," Conan said.

"Yeah," Saguru nodded. "Edogawa- _kun_ , I'm going to call the bomb squad and direct them to get here without drawing unnecessary attention. Maybe they can replace police officers stationed inside. Can I leave Inspector Nakamori and Advisor Suzuki to you?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, go in first. I'll be joining you soon," Saguru said. The boy nodded hurriedly before running into the museum. Saguru sighed once again, ruffling his hair frustratedly. How come the heist turned to be a bombing case? It was almost unbelievable considering KID heist had always been peaceful.

Saguru called the bomb squad, reporting to them that Kaitou KID had informed him about the presence of explosives inside the museum. He told the squad to disguise themselves as additional troops of KID task force to avoid unnecessary attention. The detective asked the bomb squad to work together with KID task force. He told them that the bombs were radio-controlled and probably would explode at the time of heist. After that, Saguru called his father, informing him about the incident in Grand Suzuki Museum. He hoped his father could do something about it with his position as the superintendent general. Then the teen visited _Baaya_ at the parking lot, telling her the exact same news. He wanted her to return home since the heist would be dangerous, but _Baaya_ insisted to stay. The blond could not force her, so in the end he let his housekeeper stay. At least _Baaya_ was outside, he thought, so it was unlikely the explosion would harm her. When he was sure he had done his part, Saguru returned into the building, joining Inspector Nakamori and KID Killer.

45 minutes and 27 seconds until the heist began.

TBC

* * *

 **Dear readers, I'm very sorry for the delay. My life's been busy lately, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to update weekly. I'm really sorry about this.**

 **Anyway, thanks for waiting patiently. Thanks for supporting me by reading this story, by leaving favs, follows, and reviews. Thank you so much! Here is chapter 4 for you. I hope you enjoy it! And review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 5**

 **The Worst Heist**

Saguru was relieved when the bomb squad finally arrived around 15 minutes later. Just as he had instructed, they came under the disguise of additional troops of KID task force. Saguru immediately briefed them about the current situation in the museum. He told them the location of bombs that he had gotten from KID. As soon as the briefing ended around 5 minutes later, the bomb squad were deployed to their respective position to defuse the bombs while Inspector Nakamori ordered some of his officers to get out. Saguru watched them—the bomb squad—from the monitor room together with Inspector Nakamori. Both of them had another job now. The heist was not important anymore when they were surrounded by explosives.

Saguru was in charge of bomb squad. He gave them direction to the bombs locations. He told them how to act under the disguise of KID task force. He made sure the bomb squad did not draw unnecessary attention. He watched the progress of the heist through every surveillance cameras' view. He planned emergency routes to save their life if the culprit suddenly decided to activate the bombs before the heist. Meanwhile, Nakamori and Conan had another job. Nakamori was in charge of the remaining KID task force inside the museum. They acted as if they really tried to catch the phantom thief when the truth was they only acted to cover the bomb squad. Conan's job was to chase Kaitou KID as soon as the heist started, just as he usually did in every KID heist. The adults actually wanted to take him out, but since KID Killer's presence was essential in KID heist, it would look suspicious if the boy was not inside with Nakamori and Saguru.

Saguru was fully aware that what was happening tonight was no longer a heist. He knew that Inspector Nakamori, KID, and Conan also had the same thought. Not just the four of them, Jirokichi, Sonoko, Kogoro, and Ran, they all were perfectly aware of the danger. all of Jirokichi Suzuki's security officers and the police officers too—the task force, the bomb squad—they all must have had the same thought. The heist was only an act, a disguise to cover a bigger issue: the explosives. The atmosphere inside the museum was very tense, Saguru could feel it. He strengthened his heart and mind. He did not want to get panic and lose his temper in this situation. He needed his composure. He needed to think with a clear mind.

At a time like this, Saguru wished he had his family with him. He wished his father was here. Or his mother. Or _Baaya_. The blond found himself struggling with the tense atmosphere just to calm himself. He wished his family was with him right now because he needed them to comfort him. It was really hard for him to stay calm when he knew that Edogawa Conan and Kaitou KID were inside the museum, surrounded by explosives. Edogawa Conan, the clever little boy, and Kaitou KID, a teenager, his classmate, his friend, Kuroba Kaito. Both of them were in a serious danger. Not to mention Inspector Nakamori was here too inside the museum; that Inspector Nakamori who was the father of Nakamori Aoko, Saguru's other classmate and friend. And then there were Detective Mouri and Suzuki Jirokichi. All of them refused to leave the museum, but they forced Ran and Sonoko to leave. Detective Mouri wanted to help since he was also a detective and Jirokichi could not leave when he knew that a little boy like Conan had to stay inside. With all of those people inside the museum, how could Saguru calm? They were people that he loved, people that were precious to his family, people that he respected. Saguru was terribly worried about them and his worry made him restless.

After a few minutes, Saguru felt his phone vibrated in his pocket. When the teen looked at it, he saw another text from KID. The thief told him another locations of bombs.

"There are a few more," Saguru told Inspector Nakamori. "KID found more bombs."

"How many this time?" the inspector asked uneasily.

"Three."

"Three. Alright," Nakamori sighed. "Take a few of your bomb squad to defuse it, Hakuba- _kun_. I'll tell the task force about it and if possible, make another emergency route."

Saguru immediately did what the inspector had told him to do. He ordered a few members of bomb squad to defuse the newly three bombs. After that, he helped Nakamori planning additional emergency routes. After another few minutes, the blond received a text again from KID. Worried it might contain another location of bomb, he hurriedly read the text, but it turned out he had guessed wrong. The thief did not tell him the location of bomb.

 _Time's up. Leave._

"What?" Saguru was confused. Time's up? But the bombs had not been exploded yet, and was the thief really asking him to leave the building at a time like this? Saguru looked at his watch. 13 minutes and 33 seconds until the heist. So far they had succesfully defused ten bombs, six by the bomb squad, four by KID. There were eighteen more left. Saguru was thinking for a moment. 13 minutes for eighteen bombs, sure, it sounded impossible to defuse all of them, but maybe they still had a chance to defuse at least 4 or 5 more to minimize the damage. They still had times. They were still able to do something. And what did the thief mean by asking him to leave? Did that mean KID would cancel the heist for real? Finally Saguru decided to text the thief back, asking him what he meant by his latest text. Surprisingly the thief called him not long after he sent the text.

 _"I meant exactly that,_ Tantei-san _. Please leave. You won't make it in time,"_ KID said from the other end.

"Maybe we won't, but at least we could minimize the damage by defusing a few more," Saguru argued.

 _"Aren't you being stubborn now?"_ The thief sighed _. "Fine. Just don't stay too long if you don't want to endanger yourself. The museum can be built again, but if you die, nobody can resurrect you."_

"I know. We can still defuse the bombs while mobilizing the troops to get out. I'll start the mobilization soon," the blond said. "What about your heist? Does this mean you'll cancel it?"

 _"Yes. Lives are more important than my heist. Besides, we will have another chance as long as we are alive."_

"I see. If that's the case, then you'd better leave too. I don't want to see you die before I can catch you."

 _"Don't worry, I don't intend to die that fast,"_ KID replied. Somehow in his mind, Saguru could picture the thief smirking as he spoke. _"I'll stay here a bit longer to look for another bombs and maybe defuse some of it too. You said yourself you want to minimize the damage."_

"Wait, KID, that's—"

 _"How come I leave when you're still inside? No, that's not something a gentleman would do,"_ KID interrupted _. "And as I said before, I don't intend to die that fast. Don't worry about me."_

"You're not going to listen to me, are you?"

 _"Do I ever listen to you?"_ the thief chuckled _. "Try not to look suspicious when you leave. It won't have any difference if the culprit explodes the bombs before you all can get out."_

Saguru sighed. If the phantom thief had insisted to stay, then he could not do anything but to let him stay. "Understood. Be careful, KID."

 _"You too,_ Tantei-san. _See you later."_

After ending the call, Saguru immediately told Nakamori, Conan, Kogoro, and Jirokichi about KID's decision to cancel the heist. He told them that KID would stay to help defusing some bombs. He also told them that they should leave as soon as possible without drawing unnecessary attention.

"You're right. We have to get out now that KID has canceled his heist," Nakamori agreed. "Geez... why didn't he cancel it sooner? We don't have to go through this if he canceled it earlier."

"He couldn't do that, Inspector. If he canceled it right away after he saw the bomb, the culprit might notice it and decided to explode the bombs sooner. That time all the explosives were still active. Imagine how great the damage would be if all those explosives exploded here. It would bring many dead victims, either they died by the explosion or crushed by the ruins. Simply put, we wouldn't have much chance to survive without defusing some of the explosives first," Saguru explained.

"But surely we could get out without drawing too much attention?"

"We could try, but it would still be too risky. If the culprit saw that people were being mobilized outside, he or she would have suspicion. If the culprit also noticed that Hakuba- _niichan_ and I were getting out of the museum, he or she would be sure that the police had found the bombs. He would explode it immediately. Maybe Hakuba- _niichan_ and I were safe, but the others wouldn't. It would become a disaster," Conan said, then he looked at Saguru. "Isn't that right, Hakuba- _niichan_?"

"Yes," Saguru smiled. "Therefore, it would be better if we defused some of the bombs first before getting out of the building. That way we will still have a chance to survive even if the culprit finally found out that the police had noticed the bombs," the teen closed the explanation. "Anyway, we need to hurry. We have to get out before the heist time."

A moment later Saguru and Nakamori were busy directing police officers and bomb squad to get out of the museum. They chose every safe routes that were not adjacent to any active explosives. They mobilized the task force and the bomb squad little by little with bomb squad as the last one to leave because they still had to defuse some bombs. Saguru and Nakamori also stayed behind since they had a job to ensure the safety of the troops. Conan left with Kogoro sometime in the middle of mobilization together with a few officers. Jirokichi wanted to stay much longer, but Nakamori did not allow him. The inspector ordered the remaining officers in the monitor room to get out with the advisor, leaving him only with Saguru.

"Edogawa- _kun_ and Detective Mouri manage to get outside," Saguru said after a while when he spotted the little boy and the Sleeping Detective outside the museum through the monitor.

"That's good. What about Advisor Suzuki?" Nakamori asked.

"I haven't seen him outside... Ah, there he is, still in the museum with some officers... huh, he's trying to return here."

"What?" Nakamori looked at the monitor, seeing the advisor stubbornly trying to fight the officers. "That old man. He really is troublesome!" The inspector took his handy-talkie in irritation, shouting to his subordinates, "Yamada, Nakamura, Kawaguchi! I don't care how, but you must get that old man out of here quickly! You hear me?!"

 _"Ye-yes, Inspector!"_

 _"Roger that, Sir!"_

After that, both Nakamori and Saguru could see the advisor being dragged out forcefully by the officers—Yamada, Nakamura, and Kawaguchi—through the monitor. Jirokichi fought back, of course, but he did not have the power to defeat three police officers, so in the end he had to accept Nakamori's order.

"That stubborn old man only makes the situation more difficult!" Nakamori grumbled.

"Well, we don't have to worry about him anymore. Just trust him with your subordinates," Saguru replied amusedly. "Let's focus on our job, Inspector. We still have troops to mobilize."

Saguru and Nakamori returned their attention to the troops. The mobilization was going on smoothly. Almost every member of task force had been taken out. Members of bomb squad who had finished their job also had managed to get out safely. There were still 14 bombs remained, but both Nakamori and Saguru decided to abandon it when they were sure that it would not disrupt their emegency routes even if it exploded. They ordered the squad to abandon their mission and get out of the building through the emergency routes, but as soon as they finished their order, suddenly they heard a dreadful sound.

"Hey, hey, don't tell me that was..." Nakamori looked at Saguru with a fearful expression. Saguru could only nod his head. He too had the same thought. It was an explosion. Their fear soon was proven when they saw the building collapsed from the monitor, when some of the cameras suddenly turned off, broken by the ruins.

"Looks like the culprit finally realizes," the inspector said nervously.

"Yes, and now we have to get out." Saguru hurriedly grabbed the inspector's hand, running as fast as he could to get out of the room. When they just had stepped outside the room, suddenly an explosion occurred, blowing everything inside the monitor room. Saguru and Nakamori lost their balance for a moment, falling on the floor and coughing due to the explosion's smoke.

"There's a bomb in there?! We would have died if we were a minute late!" the inspector was shocked, so was Saguru. Both of them had never thought that all along they were working near an explosive.

"Hurry, Inspector! We don't have much time!" the teen grabbed Nakamori's hand again and soon both of them were already running through the collapsing building, looking for a way to get out.

Saguru and Nakamori heard another sound of explosion. The two of them ran faster, realizing how bad the situation they were in. Not long after that, they heard the fourth explosion, making them feel tenser and more frightened. They kept pressing the troops to move fast as they tried to get out themselves. They told them to run for their lives without getting panic. They told them that they were on their way to get out too, so the troops did not have to worry about them. Nakamori even shouted angrily to Kawaguchi who tried to enter the building again with Nakamura only to save him and Saguru. The inspector called them stupid and ordered them to get out.

Being in a building that collapsed due to explosions clearly was not a pleasant experience. Multiple times Saguru and Nakamori lost contact with their troops, multiple times they heard dying screams from their handy-talkie. It was horrible. Really horrible. Not to mention the explosions seemed to never ceased, happened again and again. Saguru, being born as a genius and blessed with eidetic memory, had memorized the museum's blueprint. He had memorized every secure paths to get out. He had memorized every location of the bombs. He had memorized all of that, that was why as he ran together with Nakamori to save their lives, Saguru could not help but noticing that something was wrong. The damage was worse than he had expected. The sound of explosions were too many for fourteen or fifteen bombs. It was more than fifteen.

"It seems we have more than fifteen explosives here! KID wasn't able to find them all!" Saguru shouted to Nakamori along their way to the outside. It was very noisy inside the museum, with all the explosions and crashing sounds that he doubted anyone could hear him if he did not shout.

"Well, he's just a human after all! We can't expect him to know everything!" the inspector shouted back. "Let's not think about that for now, okay? We only need to think how to get out of here!"

Saguru and the inspector kept running as fast as they could. It was surprisingly hard to get out of the building. Many ways to the outside got blocked by the ruins; it really was far from what Saguru had expected. Not only that, with so many explosions damaging it, the building became weaker, unstable. It could not hold its structure for too long. Saguru and Nakamori were always under the threat of falling debris as long as they were inside the building. They could die anytime. It was really frightening. Nakamori's arm got injured and Saguru's head was bleeding due to the ruins that fall onto them unnoticed. Their steps became slower. Somewhere along the way, Saguru lost the inspector. His head was dizzy. His vision became blurry. The teen tried his best to keep walking. He needed to get out. He had to get out. But before he could see the outside, his eyes were already closed. His hearing became fainter. His mind was empty. He could not see anything, could not feel anything.

Saguru was lost in the darkness.

TBC

* * *

 **Readers, I'm here again!** **Thank you for your time, your favs, follows, and reviews!** **Here is chapter 5 for you. What do you think? I hope you enjoy it! Review please :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 6**

 **After the Disaster**

When he opened his eyes again, Saguru found himself in a hospital. An oxygen mask was attached to his face and he saw a nurse checking his IV drip. The nurse seemed to notice that he had regained his consciousness because she smiled at him.

"How are you feeling, Hakuba- _kun_?" she asked him.

"Dizzy," Saguru answered weakly. "What happened to me?"

"You have a concussion. Moderate concussion, to be precise," the nurse explained. "It's been two hours and half since you were brought in here. Your head is injured, so we had to sew a few stitches on it. We're in emergency room, by the way. I'll call the doctor to examine you immediately."

A few minutes later, the doctor came to examine him by asking a few questions like his name, his family, his home, his school, the current Emperor of Japan, the capital city of Japan and United States, the Queen of England, and several simple math questions. After that, the doctor conducted a simple examination to check his senses. When the doctor did not find any problem, Saguru was allowed to have some more rest. The doctor also told the teen that he needed to be hospitalized for a few days since he suffered a moderate concussion.

Saguru was not feeling well. He was not sure he could stay awake when he was having such dizziness, so he decided to sleep as soon as the doctor and the nurse had finished their examination on him. When he woke up in the morning, he found himself no longer in the emergency room. He was still in the hospital, but this time, he was in his own room. His hand was still attached to an IV drip, but he no longer wore an oxygen mask. His head felt better now and he could move his body without getting dizzy all of a sudden like before. When Saguru touched his head, he could feel the bandage wrapping around it.

 _'Right, my head was bleeding,'_ he thought. Saguru looked at his surroundings. His room was empty. He was alone. The curtain of the window was already opened, maybe by a nurse who had came to check up on him before he woke up. Saguru just lay on his bed for a while until suddenly he sat up in hurry when he remembered the incident on the day before.

Bombs. Explosions. Smoke. Ruins.

"Inspector Nakamori," he mumbled tensely, "KID... Edogawa- _kun_...Advisor Suzuki..."

His hand reached his trousers in reflex, trying to get his cellphone that he usually stored inside its pocket, but then he noticed that he did not wear his usual trousers. He was wearing a set of clothes from the hospital, not his own clothes. He looked around, looking for any sign of his phone inside the room. He found it on a desk near his bed, but when Saguru wanted to use it, he noticed that the battery had ran out and he could not charge it because he did not bring his charger.

"Damn!" Saguru cursed in frustration. He got out of the bed in hurry, walking toward the door while dragging the IV bag with him. He had to call someone. Maybe Aoko- _san_ to ask about Inspector Nakamori. Also Mouri Detective Agency to check up on Edogawa- _kun_ and Advisor Suzuki. And KID—Kuroba- _kun_. He needed to call him. He had to know whether or not his classmate was still alive. Saguru had memorized all of their phone numbers in case something like this would happen. He just needed a phone to make a call. He would just borrow it from a nurse or doctor in the hospital.

Saguru was walking in the corridor when he spotted his housekeeper walking toward his room. She was carrying a travel bag which Saguru guessed to contain his spare clothes and toiletries. _Baaya_ looked surprised when she saw her young master and she hurriedly approached him.

" _Bocchama_ , what are you doing? You shouldn't be out of bed yet!" the housekeeper scolded him.

"I need to make a call. _Baaya_ , can I borrow your phone? Mine is out of power," the blond replied, ignoring the scolding easily.

"A-Alright, but let's head back to your room first. Really, _Bocchama_ , you shouldn't do this again!"

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry."

"Who do you want to call, _Bocchama_?" _Baaya_ asked as she escorted her young master back to his room.

"Inspector Nakamori's daughter and Detective Mouri. I'm worried about Inspector Nakamori and Edogawa- _kun_ , and Advisor Suzuki too," Saguru answered.

"Oh, if it's about them, then you have nothing to worry about," _Baaya_ said. "They both are alive. Inspector Nakamori has a head injury, a broken arm, and a broken leg, but his life isn't threatened. He's also hospitalized here. That little boy and Advisor Suzuki didn't get any injury."

"I see," Saguru breathed in relief. "I guess I should visit Inspector later since he's also here."

"Yes, but we should ask for the doctor's permission first."

"Of course, _Baaya_ ," Saguru smiled. "By the way, _Baaya_ , you bring my clothes in that bag, right? Do you have my phone charger too?"

"Yes, _Bocchama_. I bring your charger."

"That's good. Thank you, _Baaya_."

As soon as they arrived at Saguru's room, the blond charged his cellphone before he went back onto his bed. When his phone finally turned on once again, he immediately sent a text to Kaito, asking if he was alright. Actually Saguru prefered to call him. He would be more at ease if he could hear the magician's voice, but with _Baaya_ in his room, Saguru could not do that. He did not want his housekeeper to suspect him. After all, Kuroba Kaito should have nothing to do with the bombing last night.

"Your father came last night, but you were already sleeping that time," _Baaya_ said. "He's working now; he left so early in the morning. I guess that bombing makes him busy."

"That's understandable," Saguru replied. "What about my mother?"

"She said she will be here in three days. She couldn't book an earlier flight."

The blond nodded. "How bad is the bombing, _Baaya_?"

"Half of the building collapsed. There are many dead victims, mostly from the bomb squad. Some of police officers also died there. The rest were injured."

"I see." Saguru sighed. He had predicted that much. It was hard to have high hope when he had heard so many dying screams last night. "Any signs of KID?"

 _Baaya_ shook her head. "No."

Saguru was silent for a moment. He took his phone once again, looking at KID's number that he had been used on yesterday heist. Saguru tried to call it, but he did not get any answer. Instead, the number was no longer active. The blond sighed. Kuroba had not replied him and KID could not be contacted. It seemed that the magician really loved to make him worry.

 _'Right. Aoko-_ san _,'_ Saguru suddenly had an idea. _'Aoko-_ san _might know something about Kuroba-_ kun _, and I can ask her about Inspector Nakamori too.'_

The blond texted Aoko immediately, asking her about Kaito and the inspector. The reply came only a few minutes later. Aoko told him that her father had broken an arm and a leg and injured his head, but other than that, the inspector was fine. She had been in hospital since last night, accompanying her father. As for Kaito, Aoko did not know much about him. Kaito was not at home when she left to the hospital last night. That magician also had not replied her text, did not answer her calls. She had called Jii's parlor, but that place also did not answer her. She told him that she had called the parlor twice, once at night, once in the morning, but there was no one answering her. He said that maybe Jii was sleeping or had not been there at all. After all, the girl called when the parlor was still closed. Aoko did not know Jii's private number, so she said she would make a call again when the parlor had been opened.

Saguru leaned back on his bed, closing his eyes. He felt tired and depressed. Not only had he not been able to solve his own murder case, he was trapped in hospital for a few days with additonal case involving a bomber and an international thief. Not to mention the said thief was nowhere to be seen, no signs of him at all, nobody knew whether or not he was still alive, and Saguru could not even contact his civilian persona. After all these things, the detective wondered just how much worse his life could turn out to be.

 _'Oh well,'_ he thought when a nurse came to bring him breakfast, _'there's no point in worrying too much. I need to get better soon if I want to leave this place.'_ Saguru had made up his mind. He was a detective and he had cases to solve. He needed to keep his mind clear. He would not get frustrated so easily no matter how messed up his life recently. He would not let his worry disrupt his brain. With that in mind, Saguru ate his breakfast with gusto. One that was hungry would be unable to win the battle.

~o0o~

People were worried for nothing if they were worried about KID after the bombing on his heist. Kaitou KID was alive and well. He escaped death only with a few bruises and minor injuries thanks to his impressive skills in flying and acrobatics. Physically, there was nothing wrong with him and after a week he should be able to pull off another heist, but he did not think he would be able to do it. In fact, apart from sulking, he did not do anything since the bombing. Perhaps he was one of the luckiest people in the world, being able to stay alive and healthy after experiencing such a huge bombing case, but despite of that, the thief did not feel happy at all. He was grateful for being alive, but he was not pleased with his condition.

Kuroba Kaito, the real person behind Kaitou KID, was depressed. His mental was brutally crushed by that bombing incident. He almost lost Inspector Nakamori. He was afraid that he had lost Hakuba too. He lost contact with all of them when the building collapsed. That was why he felt really grateful when he managed to find them alive after the incident. If he lost any of them, Kaito was sure he would lose his sanity.

Kaito did not leave the building after he had warned Hakuba to leave. The thief had been staying inside the museum, looking for any signs of undetected explosive and as soon as he found it, he immediately tried to defuse it secretly. He kept watch over Hakuba and Nakamori through an officer's handy-talkie that he had stolen; that officer did not really need it since he was assigned outside the museum. When Hakuba and Nakamori ordered their troops to leave, Kaito decided to stay since his job in defusing the bomb had not finished yet, but not long after that he heard a sound of explosion. That was the cue. Kaito had to leave quickly. He would die if he stayed any longer.

Hakuba and Nakamori kept telling the troops to move fast as they guided them to get out since the building was collapsing. Kaito heard them from his handy-talkie. He himself moved as fast as he could, jumping through the ruins and flying with his hang glider until finally he was able to see the moon and the stars. The thief only needed a few minutes to get out safely, but it was different for Hakuba and Nakamori. They were still inside when KID had managed to get outside. Kaito could not help them. The building was collapsing rapidly and dangerously. At that rate he would not be able to get out for real even if he managed to find them. Kaito could only watch in desperation, anxiously listened to their voices from handy-talkie, a sign that told him that they were still alive. He heard some frightening dying screams; it was really terrible. Minute by minute passed until at some point, he no longer heard Hakuba's voice. He could not hear Nakamori's too. Kaito was scared to death. He wanted to help them, but it was really impossible for him to help. He could not get in without harming himself. When the collapse finally stopped, Kaito disguised himself as a police officer, trying to look for Hakuba and Nakamori, trying to help as much as he could until the SAR team arrived.

Kaito managed to find Hakuba. Judging by his location, it seemed the blond almost reached outside, but he had lost his consciousness before he managed to get out. His head was bleeding and he had a few scratches and bruises. The thief immediately brought him to an ambulance, leaving him in the hands of paramedics. Kaito had not found Nakamori, so he had to return to the museum to look for the inspector. A few minutes later, the SAR team arrived. They managed to find Nakamori around an hour later. The inspector looked so much worse than Hakuba. Not only he injured his head, he also broke his leg and arm. There were a few bruises appeared on his skin and he also had lost his consciousness. When he saw the inspector in that state, Kaito was very worried, very scared. Nakamori Ginzo was like a family to him. Kaito did not want to lose him and he also would hate to see Aoko's face when she realized how bad his father's condition was.

Witnessing a bombing and having Hakuba and Nakamori injured in the incident were horrible enough, but the most horrible thing of all, he found many police officers died in his heist, crushed by the ruins of the building or killed by the explosion. It was a disaster, a tragedy that tainted Kaitou KID's heist for the first time since his debut in Paris. Innocent people died in his heist and Kaito could not forgive himself for that. He blamed himself. He could not bring himself to face his fans, his task force, and his critics after such a failure. He could not bring himself to face Aoko. It was all his fault. His fault for being unable to predict the bombing, his fault for not paying extra attention for their safety. He deserved to be blamed. That was why he did not answer the call from Aoko. That was why he did not reply her text. That was why he ignored Hakuba's text. That was why he asked Jii not to answer any call in his parlor because the caller most likely would be either Aoko or Hakuba. Kaito was so messed up that night. He did not think he could speak calmly to them. He did not think his poker face would last. He wanted to be alone, but being alone for a long time when he was feeling miserable only made him worse. In the end the teen decided to stay at Jii's parlor, moping there all night as well as seeking a consolation from his assistant who thankfully was safe from that incident; Jii had been disguising as an officer and went out of the museum together with another officers after Nakamori ordered his task force to escape.

Kaito wanted to disappear from the world, but he knew that it was impossible. He wanted to run away from people, but he knew he could not run away forever. Sooner or later he would have to face them. With that in mind, finally Kaito answered Aoko's text in the late morning. He told her that he was fine. He told her that he was busy experimenting magic tricks with Jii's help that he forgot to check his phone. He told her that he and Jii overslept in the parlor. He told her that he would go to the hospital to visit Inspector Nakamori and Hakuba as soon as he could.

Nakamori was sleeping when Kaito visited him at the hospital. He looked better than the last time Kaito had seen him. The inspector was not able to move much with only a leg and an arm, but Aoko said that he would be fully healed within a few months. Contrary to her father, Aoko looked worse. She was tired after staying up all night, waiting for her father's surgery to be finished. When Kaito arrived, the girl was sleeping on the couch in her father's room. She was woken up by the sound of Kaito knocking the door. Kaito gave her a basket of fruits, and then they talked for a brief moment about the inspector. After that, since Aoko looked exhausted, Kaito told her to sleep again. He left the Nakamoris a few minutes later to visit Hakuba.

The one who opened the door after he knocked Hakuba's room was an old lady with glasses. Kaito recognized her as Hakuba's housekeeper. The magician told her that he was Hakuba's friend and he came to visit him. The housekeeper allowed him to enter the room. When he was inside, Kaito saw Hakuba laying on the bed, smiling at him.

"Kuroba- _kun_ , thank you for coming," he said.

"You look pathetic." Kaito smiled back as he approached his friend with a hand holding a basket of fruits. "For you," he said as he put the basket on the desk.

"Thanks," the blond replied.

The housekeeper excused herself, leaving her master with Kaito. Apparently she wanted her master to have a relaxing time with his friend. She promised she would not leave the hospital. She also told Hakuba that he could call her anytime if he needed her.

"So, how are you?" Kaito asked after the housekeeper had left.

"As you can see, my head is injured," Saguru answered. "Moderate concussion. The doctor said I have to stay at bed as much as possible. They don't allow me to think too hard at least for a week."

"Oh? Does that mean solving case is not allowed?"

"More or less. It's been so boring. _Baaya_ won't allow me to read news or watch the TV only because I'm supposed to have bed rest. I can only listen to the radio here," the blond tapped his phone. "The news about yesterday incident has been broadcast through radio. Looks like It has become a hot topic."

"I've seen the news too. Yesterday must've been very hectic, huh," Kaito commented. "You were there, weren't you? How was it?"

"The bombing? It was dangerous. Very thrilling. Very threatening. That was my first time being involved directly in the bombing. It's a valuable experience." The blond paused. "I certainly don't want to experience it again. One time is enough."

Kaito smirked. "That's good. If you told me you wanted to experience it again, I'm sure I would think that you've gone crazy."

"My head may get hurt, but my sanity is still intact. You have nothing to worry about," the blond smirked back. "So what about you?" he asked.

"Me?" Kaito blinked. "What about me?"

"You are injured too," Saguru said. "I can see you've got some bruises on your arms and you have a band aid on your cheek. And there are also a few scars on your fingers. What happened to you?"

"Ah. Experimental accident. I was experimenting magic tricks last night," the magician lied expertly.

"Is that so," Saguru only smiled faintly, fully aware that his friend did not tell him the truth. "In any case, I'm glad you're okay. You never replied my text, so I was worried you were badly injured like Inspector Nakamori."

"Why would I be? It's not like I was running from a collapsing building last night. I was only experimenting tricks and overslept, that's why I didn't reply your text immediately, and I figured I didn't need to since I was going to visit you anyway," Kaito retorted. "Besides, Inspector Nakamori isn't that sick. He just can't move well since he had broken his arm and leg, and he injured his head too, just like you. He'll be fine in a few months."

"Oh, you've visited him?"

"Yes. Aoko's there too, but they're currently sleeping. I guess they both are really tired after what had happened last night."

"Of course they are," Saguru agreed. "Hey, Kuroba- _kun_."

"What?"

"Why do you think a bombing happened at KID heist?" Saguru's face suddenly turned serious. "KID heist had never been so destructive like yesterday. Don't you think it's odd?"

"Well, you're right," Kaito said. "If you ask me why that bombing happened, I think it has something to do with KID. Or with Suzuki. Or maybe even with the cops? After all the victims are all police officers."

"Hmm..." the detective was silent for a while, thinking deeply. Kaito also did not say anything, his mind was as busy as Saguru's.

"Do you think KID has enemy?" Saguru asked again.

"Of course he does. The police are his enemies," Kaito answered, "and despite his fame, he also has haters, you know."

"Haters?"

"Yes. Try to search it on the internet. You'll find KID haters without any difficulties."

"You know much about this haters?"

"Can't say I do. I'm his fan, remember? Why would I waste my time listening to those boring people?" Kaito shrugged. "But at least I know that KID haters usually are people who get jealous over his talent and popularity, people like unpopular magicians who love to blame KID for their unpopularity and people who accuse KID to have stolen their lovers' heart, for example. There are also law enforcers—prosecutors, cops, lawyers—and fans of Kaitou Corbeau usually are KID haters."

"Do you think they might want to kill KID?"

"I don't know. Maybe? I guess they might want to kill him if they really hate him, but I think that bombing was too much for them. It destroyed building and killed many people... they didn't need to go that far only to kill KID."

"Hmm... that's true..." Saguru rubbed his chin. Kaito glanced at him, sighing when he saw the blond's serious expression.

"Remember what the doctor has told you? Don't think too hard," the magician reminded him. Saguru immediately turned at his friend, frowning in displeasure.

"Don't tell me that. Not you," he said sharply, making Kaito lift his eyebrows in surprise.

"Why? As your friend, it's my job to remind you about your health," the magician argued.

"You're not in a position to remind me about my health, Kuroba- _kun_. Not when you're always endangering yourself," the blond stated, clenching his fist unconsciously when he remembered Kaitou KID trying to defuse explosives, when he remembered that the thief had protected Jody Hopper from a mysterious group of criminals, and don't forget that time when KID confronted Nightmare alone. If KID was not Kaito, maybe Saguru would not be so restless. He would not have this disturbing feelings, a mixture of anger and worry. Why must Kaito be the KID? Why should Saguru have such a complicated friend to begin with?

"Hey, I'm not always endangering myself," Kaito denied. "All I do is experimenting magic tricks and maybe a little gymnastic to support my performance. It's not dangerous."

"Whatever you say, I'm not going to listen if you forbid me to think," Saguru said. "People died yesterday, Kuroba- _kun_. Don't you dare to stop me."

Kaito frowned. "You're kinda scary, you know. Geez... am I offending you that much?"

"You are."

"Tsk. Detectives. Always thinking too much," the magician snorted. "I only remind you. How you'll use your head is up to you." Then he folded his arms across his chest, looking at the sleuth in curiosity and seriousness. "Why did you come to the heist, Hakuba? You told me you wouldn't come."

"My grandfather asked me to help Advisor Suzuki. Apparently they know each other," Saguru answered.

"What a pity. You wouldn't get hurt if you didn't come," Kaito smiled bitterly.

The blond glanced at his friend, unsure of what to say. "What's done is done. Besides, it's not like I have severe injury. I'll be fine in a week," he finally said.

"Being hospitalized is bad enough, Hakuba. Do you forget someone wants to kill you?" the magician looked at him sharply. "It won't be difficult to kill you when you're in a hospital. This place has many types of poison. What if that killer takes advantage of this situation to kill you?"

Saguru blinked before he frowned. "I haven't thought about that. You're right," he said, "but don't worry. I still have TMPD with me—ah, I have Suzuki's security too. It will be alright."

"I understand if you want to ask TMPD's help, but Suzuki? Can you really ask them?"

"Suzuki Jirokichi had promised to protect me from anyone who wanted to kill me, so I think maybe he'll be willing to help."

"That old man promised you such things? Really?"

"Yes. He was really desperate to have my aid in KID heist," Saguru smiled amusedly.

Kaito laughed. "He really is obsessed with KID, isn't he?"

"Indeed," the blond nodded in agreement, "but that obsession of his might be able to help me this time, so I can't say it isn't a good thing."

"Yeah, right. How lucky," the magician snickered. "Speaking of hospital, how long are you going to be here?"

"Around a week."

"Then I guess we won't meet each other at school next week."

"True."

"Who's going to accompany you? Your housekeeper?"

Saguru nodded. "At least until my mother arrives."

"Your mother will come? From London?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that's good then," the magician sighed in relief.

"Why? Are you worried?"

"Of course I am. Someone wants to kill you and you're in a hospital," Kaito admitted. "If your family will accompany you, then at least I can be more at ease."

Saguru only smiled, quite pleased with his friend's words but did not know how to respond it.

"Hey, Hakuba, if you ever feel bored here, you can call me. I'm going to visit this hospital very often anyway. Aoko will need my help as long as her dad's still here."

"I'll remember that. Thanks."

"No problem," Kaito grinned, then he stood up from the chair. "By the way, I kinda feel bad about your housekeeper, so I'm going to leave now. You may call her to return here."

Saguru sat up abruptly. "You're going home? So soon?"

"No, I'm going to see Inspector Nakamori and Aoko. I've talked with Aoko, but not with Inspector. He was sleeping when I visited him, so yeah, I think I'll visit him again."

"Oh, I see," Saguru nodded in understanding. "Well, see you later then. Thanks for visiting, Kuroba- _kun_."

"Yeah. Get well soon."

The magician waved his hand briefly before he left Saguru's room. When Kaito had left, Saguru called _Baaya_ , telling her that it was okay if she wanted to return to his room. After that, he lay down on his bed again, closing his eyes as he breathed in relief. Kuroba was fine. Inspector Nakamori would survive. They meant so much to him. The blond could feel better now that he did not have to be worried about them anymore. After that, his mind suddenly thinking about his conversation with Kuroba, about his murder case and the bombing case. About his killer and KID haters.

 _'These cases happened in a short period of time, not even a month... Is this a coincidence? Or maybe actually they are connected to each other?'_ Saguru pondered. It was possible those cases were connected to each other. There was a chance the bombing was planned by the same Moriarty who wanted to kill Saguru. If that was truly the case, then both he and Kaitou KID had the same enemy. Saguru needed to think about this thoroughly. He had to know whether or not his murder case was related to the bombing case. He needed to ensure the relation between his case and KID because if they ended up having the same enemy, then that meant Kuroba's life was also in danger. Saguru could not let that happen. He would not let anyone harm his friend.

TBC

* * *

 **Readers, I'm back! I'm sorry I delayed it again for weeks. I don't really have a choice when my real life is keeping me busy. So, I'm sorry again. Really really sorry.**

 **Any comment? Feel free to leave a review. I'll be happy to receive your feedback.**

 **Thank you very much for waiting. Thanks for reading. Also, thanks for all your reviews, favs, and follows. See you next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 7**

 **Different Perspective**

Saguru received many visitors during his time in hospital. Kaito and Aoko were regular visitors, almost visited his room everyday. Akako, Keiko, and Konno- _sensei_ also visited him once. Other than them, there were Conan, Ran, Kogoro, Jirokichi, and Sonoko. Kogoro had been working on the bombing case ever since that tragedy happened and the Suzukis who also were victims of the case since their museum was bombed by the culprit, had been busy cooperating with police investigation as well as planning the renovation of their museum. When Jirokichi visited Saguru, he also offered him a few bodyguards, but since that time the detective was already guarded by a few police officers, Saguru had no choice but to refuse him politely. The blond also had Inspector Megure and his subordinates visiting him. Their visit was not only to check up on his health, but also to discuss the bombing with him. Since the Division 1 had been tasked to handle the case together with the help of Division 2, they had to ask him a few questions regarding the bombing. Saguru had double status in this case: a witness and a victim, that was why his position was very important for investigation.

After a week, Saguru was allowed to go home, but he still could not go to school for another week. The doctor told him to keep his activity as minimum as possible and to avoid any labour work. Thanks to that, Saguru was trapped in his own home for a week. All he did was only reading and watching news, thinking about the cases, working on his homework for school, and playing with Watson for a little while. His mother went back to London not long after he got discharged from hospital and his father had been very busy and rarely at home recently, so the teen felt a bit lonely. He still had _Baaya_ , but talking with _Baaya_ was not the same as talking with his parents. Saguru was bored and the only thing that could get him out of his boredom was the case. That was why the blond almost spent all his days at home collecting every information he could get about his murder case and KID heist bombing case. His room was full of papers and books and his brain was constantly thinking deeply. sometimes he called Inspector Megure to discuss the cases. Sometimes he secretly stayed up until late night to think about the cases. Every time his father returned home, Saguru would not hesitate to explain his ideas to him. Thanks to all of his efforts during that week added with Detective Mouri's help, the police somehow managed to collect a few suspects in less than two weeks since the bombing and by the time he was allowed to go to school, the blond had memorized the progress of the case and ready to discuss it with a certain phantom thief in his civilian persona.

"Shibata Akira, Takahashi Natsumi, Oda Aoi," Saguru said as he sat himself next to Kaito who had been shuffling his cards absentmindedly under the tree in the school yard. It was free period on the first day Saguru went to school after the bombing incident. "They are the suspects of the bombing."

Kaito only glanced briefly at him before looking back at his cards. "Yeah. So?"

"Shibata is a KID hater. Oda is a KID fan. Takahashi doesn't belong to any group. Quite interesting, I'd say."

"Sure it is," Kaito said nonchalantly, his hands still playing with the cards.

"I'm sure you've been keeping track of this case's progress."

"Of course. Like you said, people died that day. Not to mention that incident injured you and Inspector Nakamori. I'm stupid if I ignore it," the magician admitted lightly. "Shibata and Takahashi are employees in Suzuki Museum and Oda is an explosive expert who's also a friend of Takahashi. Right?"

"Right. What else do you know?"

"Shibata is an engineer in the museum and he had access to a few restricted rooms which also happened to be the locations of bombs. He is KID hater because he claimed KID has stolen his girlfriend's heart and he actually is one of the admins of KID haters social group. Takahashi is a janitress and also had access to the bombs locations, not to mention she's a friend of an explosive expert, Oda. Oda is a KID fan. He is an explosive expert working for a construction company. He had a little sister, Oda Akane, who died in a car crash two months ago. Takahashi is also a friend of Akane- _san_ , by the way, and Akane- _san_ was also a KID fan, his avid fan. Akane- _san_ died instantly in that car crash, but the other person who crashed her car was safe. Not only that, that person was not charged with a crime even though Akane- _san_ died in that accident because the police found Akane- _san_ drunk while driving on that day. That person is Nakamura Keiichi, a member of KID task force. So maybe Takahashi and Oda wanted to kill KID together with the police to avenge the death of Akane- _san_ and to make her happy with that thief in the afterlife. Unfortunately Officer Nakamura also died in that bombing due to his attempt to save you and Inspector Nakamori, only strengthening the police's suspicion towards them. That's all I know from the news," Kaito explained.

"I see you've been very attentive. Impressive," the detective smiled. "Yes, that's what the news have been reported so far."

"Why do you bring me this topic?" Kaito asked.

"I want to know your opinion. You have criminal mindset after all."

"Magician mindset," the magician corrected.

"Whatever," Saguru shrugged nonchalantly. "Let's get back to the main topic, shall we? What do you think about this case, Kuroba- _kun_?"

Kaito stopped shuffling his cards, leaning his back against the tree. "It seems reasonable at a glance, but when I think about it again, it's not as reasonable as it looks."

"Ah, so you think there's something wrong," Saguru remarked.

"Yeah." The magician paused for a moment, only looking up at the sky before he continued, "Shibata is KID hater, but no matter how much he hates KID, he didn't have to blow up the museum and killed many innocent people. It seems too far, not to mention the dead victims are all police officers, the ones whose job is to catch KID. It's contradicting."

"And?"

"About Takahashi and Oda... it's just crazy. They wanted to kill KID so that Akane- _san_ could meet him in the afterlife? And they killed so many officers only because Nakamura- _san_ didn't get any charge after crashing Akane- _san_ to death? But it's only right he didn't have to get charged when Akane- _san_ died after drunk-driving, so why would they want to avenge her? So irrational! Also, that bombing might have killed the Suzukis and Mouris if they hadn't managed to get outside before the explosion. They don't have anything to do with their revenge, do they?"

"The Mouris and Suzukis are KID's enemies. Of course, KID Killer is included. It makes sense if they wanted to kill them too along with the police," Saguru said.

Kaito looked sharply at him. "For the happiness of a dead person?"

"Yes."

"Hakuba, are you crazy?"

"No." The blond looked back at his friend seriously. "I agree that such an action is irrational. I agree that their motive doesn't make any sense. But Kuroba- _kun_ , sometimes there are people like that, people that are irrational and crazy. Should I give you an example? There was this case in England, Hades Sabara bombing case. He, Hades, bombed every hospitals that had refused to perform a surgery for his mother's illness. He killed many innocent people: patients, doctors, nurses, visitors of the hospital." Saguru paused, waiting for his friend to give a reply, but when he noticed that Kaito did not want to say anything, he continued. "Another example, this is a case from Hyogo Prefecture that I've read. A father wanted to bomb Koshien Stadium when there was a match going on because his son who wanted to play in Koshien died in traffic accident. It seems his son was exhausted from his baseball training and failed to stop his bike when a truck passed. It was fortunate the police managed to capture that man before he exploded the bomb. Imagine how many innocent people would die if he managed to explode it."

Kaito did not respond. His face was blank, a poker face. A moment later, the magician said, "are you accusing them? Are you trying to tell me that they are the culprit?"

"They are suspects. I didn't say they're the culprit," Saguru clarified.

"But you sounded like you're supporting the idea of them as the culprit."

"Wrong. I merely explained why they are suitable as suspects," the blond corrected. "It's fine if you disagree with me, but I want you to tell me why you disagree. I told you before, didn't I? I want your opinion. I want your perspective."

Kaito chuckled. "Sounds like you're asking me to have a debate with you."

"If you want to put it that way, that's fine. I don't dislike debate. It's a way to have another perspective."

"Why are you so persistent with another perspective when you're already so sure with their motive?" Kaito asked again, looking curious and confused at the same time. "It's not like you're a judge who needs many opinions and considerations to make a proper judgement. You're a detective. Your job is to investigate crimes, pick up any clues, rearrange the puzzle, make deductions, solve the case."

"Precisely, Kuroba- _kun_. Because I'm a detective, I have to solve the case. To solve the case, I have to know the truth. To know the truth, I need to investigate. Investigation leads to deductions and deductions lead to conclusions. But I'm only a human. I can make mistake. I might draw a wrong conclusion. That's why even detectives need another perspective sometimes. We don't want to accuse the wrong person," Saguru said, his mind recalling a case from months ago when he attended a gathering of high school detectives in an uninhabited island. That time he almost accused the wrong person to be the culprit of murder. It was thanks to Hattori Heiji's reminder that he was spared from that serious mistake. He certainly did not want to end up like the victim of that case, a detective who was murdered because he drew a wrong conclusion and accused the wrong person. "So, you're wrong again. Judges are not the only ones who need different perspective. Detectives need it too," the blond continued.

Kaito was stunned. He only stared at his classmate before a soft smile formed on his lips. "Different perspective to make the right conclusion and the right conclusion to accuse the right person. Hmm... I see... I thought detectives only care for discrepancy, evidences, and testimonies."

"Are you kidding me? People can lie. Testimony can be fabricated. Evidence can be faked. It will be stupid to completely rely on them," Saguru replied. "I'm sure you know that better, Kuroba- _kun_. You magicians are the experts of illusions, deceptions, and tricks."

"So true," Kaito grinned. "Well, I think I got it now, the importance of different perspective in detective's job. I never thought you can think like that, Hakuba."

"Really?" Saguru lift an eyebrow. "Then I guess you've seen another characteristic of mine. I wonder if it will have any use for your night job."

"I don't have night job and I'm not KID if that's what you mean by night job," Kaito scowled.

Saguru only smirked. "So, since you're already understand the importance of different perspective in detective's job, why don't you help me with your perspective?"

"You're asking my help."

"Or your promise. You promised me with your perspective, remember?"

"Yeah, but only for your murder case, not this bombing."

"What if my case actually is related to the bombing?"

"What?" Kaito frowned. "How?"

"Not sure," Saguru shrugged, "but it's possible since the bombing and the murder happened in a short period of time and I'm involved in both cases."

"Oh." Kaito did not say anything for a moment, then he finally sighed. "Guess I don't have a choice but to help you, huh."

"Thank you for your cooperation," the blond smiled contently. "Shall we return to our main topic?"

"Right," Kaito nodded half-heartedly. "Where were we? Ah, Oda and Takahashi."

"Yes. What do you think of them?"

"Like I said, it's crazy. It's hard for me to accept they bombed the building and killed many people just for that reason," Kaito answered. "Besides, Oda is KID fan. Did he really want to kill KID by his own hand? This doesn't make any sense."

"Indeed, but sometimes criminals don't make any sense, just like Hades Sabara and the bomber of Koshien."

"I know, but still, don't you think it would be more convincing if the motive is rational?"

"Yes. That's why we're still under investigation," Saguru nodded.

"What did they say when the police interrogated them?"

"They insisted they didn't do it, obviously, but they were there at the heist, mingling in the crowd. They said they just wanted to watch KID."

"Don't they have any alibis?"

Saguru shook his head. "The three of them wouldn't become suspects if we could find their alibis. Maybe we can find something to prove their innocence if the museum's data room didn't get blown up, but sadly all the recorded video there had been broken beyond repair. Furthermore, the bombs were radio-controlled. It could be activated remotely. They could blow up the museum from anywhere as long as they had the controller."

"Is that so..."

"Yeah. Since the police can't use camera footage at the museum to investigate, they had no choice but to rely on the witnesses, including Inspector Nakamori and me since that night we watched everything from the monitor room. Thanks to that, the police often visited me when I was hospitalized. They also visited my home for a few times last week. they asked me to tell them everything I've seen," Saguru said.

"And? What can you remember from that day?"

"The bombs obviously were hidden from every cameras, so what I'd been watching that night were only the position of the troops and the collapse. I couldn't see the bomb squad defusing the bombs, but I knew they were working on it since they reported it to me through handy-talkie," the blond answered. "See? I know nothing about the suspects. The only thing I know is that they were not in the museum that night. Not in the yard, not in the building."

"In other words, there's nothing left in the museum, huh."

"Yes, and the culprit is smart. The bombs destroyed every important places. Monitor room, engineering room, data room, there aren't any remains that might be useful for investigation," Saguru said and when he realized Kaito did not intend to respond soon, the blond continued, "so, this crime was done by a professional and that's why I suspect this bombing might have something to do with my murder."

Kaito looked at his classmate. "You're surprisingly calm about this, considering the bomber might also want to kill you."

"Well, it's not like we have lost everything. We still have a witness that might give us some clues."

"Really?" Kaito frowned in curiosity. "Who?"

Saguru looked at the magician intently before he let out a tiny smile. "Kaitou KID."

Kaito looked taken aback for a moment. "KID?"

"Yes. KID," Saguru nodded. "He was also there that night. We had some conversations through cellphone. He was the first who realized the bombs' existence and told us about it. Maybe KID had seen something that no one else had, something that might be a clue to solve this case. I kinda hope he'll at least tell me what he had seen that time."

"How are you going to ask him? You can't even find him."

"I don't need to find him. It's KID after all, so I'm sure he'll just show himself."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because people died when he was about to perform his heist. His task force died. He could also die that time, so it's only right if he lends a hand to help us solve this case. Besides, he has a principle to keep his heist free from danger, so how come he'll abandon this incident? No, that certainly won't happen."

Kaito snorted. "Do you believe in him that much even though he's a criminal? Even though he's your enemy?"

"Yes, I do."

"Oh." Kaito was stunned when he saw Saguru's seriousness. "Huh, I see."

Saguru smiled at him. "That's why, you'd better not disappoint me."

"Again, I'm not KID," the magician denied annoyingly.

"Whatever," the blond replied as he stood up, ignoring Kaito's denial. "Thank you for your perspective, Kuroba- _kun_ , and let's do our best until the cases are solved."

"I'll try," Kaito replied sarcastically. The detective only smirked in return.

"See you in class. Don't skip," Saguru said before he turned around and walked into the school building, leaving the magician alone in the school yard. After the blond had disappeared from his sight, Kaito sighed tiredly, lying himself on the grass beneath him.

"Damn Hakuba," he cursed under his breath. That detective always accused him of being the phantom thief even though he had nothing to prove his accusation. It was really annoying. It made Kaito tired because he always needed to be cautious around Saguru, especially when they were having conversation. If he ever let down his guard, his identity as KID might get uncovered.

"But he's right. KID is a witness too," the magician mumbled when he remembered Saguru's words. _'And he's right again. KID shouldn't abandon this incident. He has an obligation to help,'_ the teen continued in his mind. That bombing happened at his heist. It killed his task force. It killed the bomb squad. It injured Inspector Nakamori and Hakuba. It could have killed the thief too. Kaitou KID really should not leave that case alone. He should not let the bomber escape. He had to do something to catch the culprit.

 _'I need to do my own investigation,_ ' Kaito thought. His depression had made him lost spirit. It made him forget about who he was and what he was capable of. He paid attention to the news, sure, but he forgot that he was the damn phantom thief who had never let anyone disturb his heist. He was Kaitou KID who always prioritized the safety of his audiences. It had been two weeks since the bombing and yet he had done nothing. He had wasted his times moping and sulking and restlessly watching the news, hoping the authorities finally had found the culprit. What the heck had he been doing all this time? Kaitou KID could do better than that!

Kaito sat up straight with a determined face. He had made up his mind. He would help the authorities to solve the case. He certainly would not go to the police station to give them his testimony, but he still could help them in his own way. In Kaitou KID's way. The magician immediately drowned in his thoughts, making plans for his investigation. The first step he needed to do was to gather information. He had to know the latest news. After that, he would look into every information that he and his assistant had gathered on that tragic night. That's right, today would be a very busy day for him. He might as well skip school for the sake of his investigation—

"No." Kaito stopped himself when he was about to run away from school. He just remembered Saguru's final words. That sleuth had warned him not to skip. If he skipped school today, Saguru might get suspicious. He might want to know why his classmate decided to skip school despite his warning. It might confirm Saguru's suspicion about Kaito's identity as the phantom thief. The magician finally sighed again as he leaned back against the tree. He did not have any choice but to be patient. For now, he would just update his knowledge with the latest news. He would wait patiently until the school was over.

"Alright! Let's see what's on the news today," Kaito said to himself, taking out his smartphone from his trousers pocket. He immediately browsed, looking for the recent news. "Hmm... Emperor's speech concerning the bombing, data breaches in research institutions, Suzuki Museum's renovation... Oh! Interview with Oda Aoi's company, 'How Strong is Oda's Explosive?'"

TBC

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. Review please :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 8**

 **Akako's Message**

Saguru had suspected that the bombing could be related to his murder case, but he had never expected his suspicion to be proven so soon. Imagine how surprised he was when Inspector Megure called him that evening, telling him about the relation between the bombing and the murder. It turned out that one of the suspects, Takahashi Natsumi, had a pair of knitted gloves that were exactly the same as the suspicious woman's. It was too good to be a coincidence and that was why in the end the police decided to make her a suspect of Ogawa's murder. Not long after that, Oda Aoi also became a suspect of murder. After all, it was possible they conspired to kill Saguru because Saguru was KID's enemy. If it was not because of that, then maybe they wanted to kill Saguru because they were afraid Saguru would solve their bombing crime.

Saguru went to the interrogation room when the police interrogated Takahashi and Oda. He watched them from observation mirror. Takahashi looked depressed and tense. She did not answer all the questions the police had asked her. She only said that she was innocent. She kept saying it many times, repeatedly in a nervous and anxious state. Oda also claimed that he was not guilty. He claimed that he was innocent, but contrary to Takahashi's conduct, Oda did not look tense or anxious at all. He looked confident, but he was also angry with the police's accusation toward him and Takahashi. Neither Oda nor Takahashi wanted to admit their crime and further interrogation did not give the police much benefit. In the end they decided to investigate the case more thoroughly.

"But when I look at her again, I think she's really that woman," Keiko said at school when she and her classmates were talking about the recent news about the bombing and the murder. "This Takahashi looks similar to her, really."

"Are you sure?" Saguru asked.

"Yes. Well, she doesn't have long hair like that woman, but it's not impossible to have long hair all of a sudden. Maybe she cut her hair after that day or maybe she was wearing a wig."

"But she kept denying her crime when the police interrogated her."

"Of course she would! No criminal wants to be captured, Hakuba- _kun_ ," Aoko said.

"Well... that's true, but..." Saguru tapped his chin thoughtfully, "she looked so depressed, so anxious, so shocked."

"It's only natural, isn't it? Guilty people will be uneasy when they know that the police are suspecting them."

"No, it's not always like that," Saguru shook his head. "A bombing criminals or serial murderers rarely look like that when the police interrogate them. Usually they have confidence. They are calm, not because they are innocent, but because they are prepared for interrogation. They expect they might become a suspect since they are the culprit and because they have expected it, they have prepared themselves for interrogation."

"Is that so?" Aoko responded. "But it's possible she was just acting, right?"

"Maybe, but I doubt an ordinary janitress like her could do such things," Saguru said, the he turned to Keiko. "Keiko- _san_ , I was told the police will come here to investigate again. Maybe they will call you since you're a witness in my murder case."

"E-eh? Again?" Keiko looked nervous. "W-well, I guess it's okay. I'm just a witness after all."

Saguru smiled. "See? Even witnesses get nervous when they know that the police want to interrogate them for their testimony. Imagine how hard it will be when you're being interrogated as a suspect."

"Oh, I see!" Keiko clapped her hands in realization. "So that's why it's normal if a suspect feels depressed or anxious in interrogation."

"Exactly, though I'm serious about the police will be coming here to ask you, Keiko- _san_."

Keiko laughed. "It's okay, it's okay. I feel better now that I know I'm allowed to be nervous."

"It's a normal reaction. Don't worry too much," Saguru said. "Just tell them what you know, Keiko- _san_."

"Sure! Thanks, Hakuba- _kun_ ," Keiko nodded confidently.

"But seriously, Japan seems to be busy with crimes since that bombing happened," Aoko said. "There are robberies, thefts, frauds, and kidnappings everywhere. Recently cybercrime's been rampant too. If _Otou-san_ didn't get hospitalized, Aoko is sure he would've been busy dealing with those cases."

"Ah, I've heard about that too! There are several companies and research institutions suffering data breaches, and there are several cases about internet fraud. Really, Aoko, your dad would've been so busy had he not been ill," Keiko responded. "But seriously, what's happening with our country these days? So many crimes happened. This is unusual."

"Actually, I think this situation is quite predictable," Saguru said.

"Why?" Aoko asked confusedly.

"Because the current condition of Japan, especially Tokyo, provides a perfect opportunity for criminals. Public attention have been diverted to the bombing and KID. Also, the police have been busy with both bombing and Officer Ogawa's murder. Not to mention the inspector of Division 2 is hospitalized and there were many officers died in the bombing. In short, Tokyo's defense is weaker than usual due to lack of capable police."

"Oh, you're right!" Keiko looked amazed by the blond's explanation. "So that's why we have so many crimes recently."

"This is so disturbing!" Aoko grumbled annoyingly. "Keiko, we have to support our police in this tough situation! You have to give them your real testimony! No lies, no fear!"

"Right!" Keiko nodded determinedly. "I'll do my best! Let's go to the cafeteria, Aoko! I need to replenish my energy before the interrogation is started."

"Yeah!" Aoko held up her fist in high spirit, then she and Keiko left the classroom to have a lunch in the cafeteria. Saguru smiled softly as he watched them leaving together. There was something about their friendship that warmed his heart.

"You do realize Momoi- _san_ 's testimony will only make Takahashi- _san_ look more suspicious, don't you?"

Saguru turned his head, blushing slightly when he saw Akako approaching him.

"W-well, maybe, but that doesn't mean the person Keiko- _san_ had seen is her," Saguru replied.

"I pity her. I believe she's not the culprit," the witch said.

"You believe her?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I know she's not the culprit."

Saguru frowned. "What do you mean? How come you know she's not the culprit?"

Akako smirked. "You want to know the culprit?"

"You know the culprit?"

"No, but I have clues about the culprit."

"Really?" Saguru looked at her, feeling confused and curious at the same time. "Mind to tell me these clues?"

"Not at all," the witch still smirked. "Listen well, Hakuba- _kun_. The culprit is a sword of justice, haunted by the terror of darkness and deceived by the crow."

"That's all?"

"That's all," Akako nodded. "Do your best to figure it out. I'm sure you don't want to catch the wrong person."

"Where did you get this?"

Akako only smiled mysteriously. "Lucifer." And then she walked out of the classroom, leaving Saguru in a state of confusion.

 _'A sword of justice, haunted by the terror of darkness and deceived by the crow...'_

Saguru sighed. That was another cryptic message from Akako. That girl had had given him a cryptic message before and it happened to be quite reliable regardless where and how she obtained it. Maybe he needed to take her message into his consideration. Maybe he needed to investigate it too.

 _'A sword of justice, terror of darkness, crow,'_ the detective started to think. _'A sword of justice... someone whose job is to uphold justice? Uphold justice means... law enforcement? Police? Private security? Detective? Judge? Prosecutor? Lawyer?'_ Saguru rubbed his chin. _'But it doesn't always have to be law enforcement. Leaders' job is to uphold justice too, so maybe a director of a company? Headmaster? Hmm... teachers' also had an obligation to uphold justice. Teacher, huh?'_ The blond took out a note from his bag, writing down everything that he had been thinking.

 _'There are too many professions related to justice. I'll pass this for now,'_ Saguru decided. He moved onto the next phrase. Terror of darkness.

Darkness could mean many things. Night, black, misfortune, depression, crime, evil, supernatural, witch, grim reaper, death, shadow, grief, funeral, fear, so many interpretation from darkness and if Saguru had to choose the one that brought terror, well, almost everything brought terror. Troublesome.

"Pass. Move on," the blond finally said when he felt he could not figure it out yet. The next phrase, deceived by the crow. The crow. He recalled Akako's words months ago about that bird. Crow, a servant of gods in many mythologies. It was also often associated with death. Other than that, crow was associated with mysteries, magic, intelligence, mischiefs, destiny, alchemy, trickster, manipulative—

"Huh?" Saguru blinked. "Somehow it fits Kuroba- _kun_ 's personality—KID's personality." Magician, intelligent, mischievous, mysterious, trickster, manipulative. The crow really suit him. And it suit his name too, Kuroba—black feather. Did that mean this crow was KID? Or Kuroba? If the crow meant KID or Kuroba, then the culprit was deceived by him?

 _'Kuroba-_ kun _deceived people to kill?'_ Saguru blinked again, the he shook his head. _'No, that's impossible. Then maybe KID? The original KID?'_ the blond frowned in deep thoughts. Saguru did not know much about the original KID except that he was sure the older thief had some connection with Kaito. The sleuth even suspected Kaito's father as the original KID since he passed away in the same year the phantom thief started his long hiatus. So, if the crow had nothing to do with Kaito, then maybe it had something to do with his father or the original KID. If it was not that, then maybe Kaito deceived the culprit without any meaning. Maybe it was a misunderstanding that led the culprit to commit such crimes.

Saguru looked at his notes, reading everything that he had written there.

 _The sword of justice: someone whose job was to uphold justice._

 _Haunted by the terror of darkness: not sure. Anything horrible related to darkness._

 _Deceived by the crow: Kaitou KID could be the crow. The culprit and KID might share an important history._

Saguru looked around, searching for his magician friend, but Kuroba Kaito was nowhere in the class. Typical of him, always spent his free period outside.

 _'Should I tell him about this message?'_ Saguru pondered, but after a while, he shook his head. _'No. I don't think it will have any difference even if I tell him. I doubt he'll listen to me. Kuroba-_ kun _will only avoid me, denying his identity as KID. This message isn't for Kuroba-_ kun _. It's for KID. He will only listen to me when he speaks to me as KID.'_ The blond sighed disappointedly. He knew it, he was prepared to have his friend rejected him in order to protect KID's identity, but Saguru could not help but feeling disappointed. He was disappointed for being unable to have Kaito's trust. He was disappointed for being unable to talk with KID when he needed him. Until when would Kaito keep silent? Until when should Saguru wait for the thief to show up?

"Just hurry up, Kuroba- _kun_. Time's not going to wait for us," the blond muttered tiredly, lying his head on the desk. He closed his eyes for a moment, resting his mind. He almost fell asleep thanks to the comforting breeze coming from the window when suddenly he heard his stomach growl.

"Ah." Saguru opened his eyes. He forgot to eat his lunch.

TBC

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. Review please :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 9**

 **The Last Witness Testifies**

Time really was not going to wait for them.

It had been a week since Takahashi and Oda had been confirmed to be the suspects of Ogawa's murder. Within that one week, the police kept investigating, searching for any clues, any evidences, but their investigation was to no avail. The only evidence they had was Takahashi's knitted gloves added with Momoi Keiko's testimony. Takahashi was really depressed, Saguru knew it. He watched her interrogation quite often, reading her expression from observation mirror. Oda became angrier and angrier every single day. It was only a matter of time before that man finally exploded. The investigation was not going anywhere. It only made the situation worse. The suspects were tired. The investigators were tired. Saguru was also tired.

Saguru always paid attention to his magician friend. Unlike him, Kaito looked as cheerful as ever with all his pranks and mischiefs, but the blond knew better. He had observed Kaito thoroughly. The magician might look like his usual self, but actually he did not. There was something in his mind. He had been thinking about something. Maybe planning something too. It was obvious for Saguru when he found the magician often skipped class and returned home before the school was over. Kaito was planning something. KID was planning something. When Saguru thought about that, he could not hold his smile. The thief had started to move. Saguru only needed to wait until he showed up with his surprise.

But then again, time was not waiting for them. Before Saguru and Kaito could do anything about the case, another victim had fallen. Another case appeared in front of them.

Takahashi Natsumi committed suicide in her apartment. She hanged herself in her bedroom.

That case was a suicide, clearly a suicide. Both Detective Mouri and Saguru knew it. They were sure of it. The motive? Since the police could not find any threat addressed to Takahashi, the only thing that could make her commit suicide was her depression.

Oda was very angry. He finally exploded. He blamed the police for Takahashi's death. He blamed them for always accusing her to be the culprit, for always suspecting her. Takahashi was his childhood friend. She was an important person to him and now the police had taken her life too, just like Nakamura who had taken his sister's! Saguru had heard from Detective Chiba that Oda's wrath was very terrifying. He had a fistfight with the police, shouting and screaming with so much hatred and when he finally calmed down, he cried. His cry was full of grief, Chiba said. It was really heartbreaking seeing Oda Aoi in that state. He who usually was confident albeit quite temperament suddenly cried, weeping and mourning for the death of his childhood friend. He looked so unstable. So fragile. Shibata was mourning too. Takahashi was his colleague. They worked together for Suzuki Corporation in Grand Suzuki Museum. Her death was something that he had never imagined. She was so young, so healthy, and suddenly she died!

Takahashi's suicide gave Saguru a heavy blow. Why did it end up like this? Why? Saguru did not want anymore victim. He did not want to see anyone die in his stead. The victim of this case should have been him. Only him. But how come it ended up killing Takahashi too? Saguru realized he was responsible for Takahashi's death. If only he could solve the case sooner. If only he was not late. If only he had convinced the police to not be too hard on her. Saguru had so many regrets. His chest felt heavy after Takahashi's death. What if she really was not the culprit? Saguru would feel terribly guilty if that happened. In fact, somehow he was sure Takahashi was not the culprit. Maybe it was because Akako's message. Or maybe because he had observed Takahashi so many times, he had seen her reactions, her expressions when the police interrogated her. Maybe all of that made him confident she was not the culprit.

Saguru was sure Takahashi was not the culprit, but if she really was not, then who was the culprit? Who was the person Keiko had seen? Why did that woman look like Takahashi? Why did that woman have the same knitted gloves as Takahashi's? Who was the person who wanted to kill him? Who was the person responsible for the bombing? Oda? Shibata? Or perhaps the real culprit had not been suspected yet? Who was his opponent in this game? Who was the Moriarty?

Saguru often spent his time in TMPD office and Detective Mouri's agency, discussing both the murder and the bombing with the police, Kogoro, and Conan. The Sleeping Detective agreed that Takahashi might not be the culprit, that maybe the culprit just wanted to frame her. Conan looked so agitated lately, more agitated than Kogoro and the police. Something had been bothering him lately, Saguru was sure of that, but the little boy only told him that he was restless because the bombing and the murder sounded so complicated and dangerous. Saguru knew that there was something more than that, but Conan did not seem to want to tell him. Since the boy preferred to keep it to himself, Saguru did not force him. He just hoped Conan did not hide anything important that could cost him his life. He just hoped the boy would be fine.

That night Saguru had just gotten home after visiting Detective Mouri's agency. They discussed the case for the umpteenth time, but they still had not had any meaningful results. There were not enough clues. The crimes were almost too clean. Disappointed with today's work result, Saguru stumbled tiredly into his room. He threw his bag on his desk before throwing himself on his bed. He felt exhausted, disappointed, and hopeless. He just wanted to have some rest. He wanted to shut his brain. He wanted to sleep. The blond sighed wearily, closing his eyes. He was sure he could sleep in a matter of seconds since he was so tired, but then suddenly he felt a cold wind blowing into his room. Saguru opened his eyes abruptly and sat up in alert, looking at his surroundings. When he saw a figure of man standing in front of the window, Saguru's eyes widened in surprise. He could not see him clearly in his dark room, but the light from outside the window was enough to make him recognize his posture.

"KID," the blond said.

"Good evening, _Tantei-san_ ," the white thief greeted him in a friendly manner. He walked toward a chair in Saguru's room, moving it next to the bed and sitting there casually, eyes looking at the detective. "You're late today. Busy?"

"I've been busy ever since someone tried to murder me," the blond replied as he fixed his position, trying to sit comfortably on his bed. "What are you doing here?"

"I believe we need to talk," the thief answered. "But before that, I must say that I am deeply sorry for the loss of Takahashi Natsumi."

"You should've come here sooner."

"Yes. I regret my decision to delay our meeting," KID nodded. "If only I came to you sooner, maybe she didn't have to die, but what's done is done. We can't change the past. We can only do our best for the future."

"I know," Saguru said grimly. "Why didn't you come sooner? You know we need to talk."

"I've been busy with my own plans, _Tantei-san_ , and I thought meeting you wasn't as important as my plans. Just like you, I want to catch the culprit too, but in my own way," KID said with a sad tone. "If I have to be honest, I didn't want to meet you. You detectives are the bane of my existence, so I tried my best to catch the culprit without having to meet you face to face like this. I always managed to do it in the past. My messages, my disguises, and my heists were always enough to make the police found the culprit."

"But it's different this time?"

"Yes." KID took his breath. "Someone died. Committed suicide."

"You think she died because you didn't meet me sooner?"

"She died because I was late. We both were late," KID corrected. "If the real culprit had been found, she wouldn't commit suicide. Maybe I wouldn't be late if I had met you earlier. Maybe she didn't need to die if I had cooperated with you."

"So you think Takashi Natsumi isn't guilty."

"Indeed."

"I see." Saguru looked at the thief in front of him, but he could not really see him in the dark even when his eyes had adjusted to it. He barely managed to get a glimpse of his face even though the thief was sitting right in front of him. It felt uncomfortable being alone with an international criminal in a dark room like this, but Saguru did not dare to turn on the light. The thief clearly preferred to meet in the dark for the sake of his own safety. If Saguru turned on the light, maybe KID would fly away again. Saguru did not want that, not when the thief finally came to meet him. The blond had been waiting for this. He had been waiting for KID to talk with him. He did not want to waste this chance.

"So you're here to talk with me," the blond said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"The case, of course. Both yours and mine," KID answered. "Ask me anything, _Tantei-san_. I'll do my best to answer your questions."

"Including your plans?"

"No," KID smiled mysteriously. "My plans are secret. A magician never tells his secret."

"Then anything except your plans."

The thief nodded. "Go ahead."

"Right." Saguru took a deep breath, his eyes looking sharply at KID. "First question: what did you see and what were you doing that night? Please tell me everything."

"That was two questions actually," Kid pointed out, "but it's alright, I'll answer you. What did I see and what was I doing that night? I was supposed to have my heist, so I was busy with my preparations. Along the way I accidentally saw explosives. I looked for another explosives and found more. I checked it and then I found out that it was radio-controlled. I defused some of them until the bomb squad arrived. I warned you about the bombs when I was in the middle of defusing one of them, remember? After the bomb squad had arrived, I ran around the museum, searching for another explosives if they were exist and I managed to find three. I warned you immediately, didn't I? And after that, I decided to look for more explosives for a few minutes, then I warned you to leave when I thought you wouldn't manage to deactivate all the bombs. Oh right, I managed to find another one and immediately tried to defuse it after I had found it, but since the first explosion happened when I was still defusing it, I finally decided to leave it untamed to save my life."

"What were you doing when the building collapsed?"

"Trying to save my life."

"Did you see anything?"

"Ruins, smoke, fire, KID task force and bomb squad running as fast as they could to get out."

"Nothing suspicious at all?"

"I didn't really pay attention to my surroundings. I was about to get crushed by the ruins anytime."

"What about me? Or Inspector Nakamori? Did you see any of us when the collapse happened?"

"No, but I saw you after the collapse. Actually I was the one who found you and brought you to the ambulance. I saw Inspector Nakamori around an hour after that."

"You did that for me?" Saguru blinked. "Huh, I guess I should thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," KID replied humbly. "Anything else you want to ask?"

The blond nodded. "Tell me everything that happened when I was unconscious."

"Nothing much. It was chaotic. I stayed there a bit longer only to make sure you and Inspector Nakamori were alright," KID said, then he suddenly looked as if he remembered something. "Maybe I need to say this. Officer Nakamura returned to the building to save the two of you. He was accompanied by Officer Kawaguchi, but only Officer Kawaguchi managed to get out alive despite being unable to save any of you."

"Yes, I know about that," Saguru nodded. "Officer Kawaguchi suffered moderate injury and was hospitalized for a few weeks like me. He said the ruins separated him from Officer Nakamura. He could not reach him after that, so he decided to get out of the building alone."

"You may want to investigate him further."

Saguru frowned. "Why?"

"There are some things unsettling about him," the thief said. "Officer Nakamura didn't call any of you even though he entered the building to save you both. I remember I heard Officer Kawaguchi's voice from my handy-talkie, but only for a few times. Neither he nor Officer Nakamura seemed to really look for you. Furthermore, Officer Kawaguchi was the one who asked Officer Nakamura to save you."

"You saw him asking that to Officer Nakamura?"

"No, but my assistant did."

"Is that so?" Saguru rubbed his chin thoughtfully, recalling his memory on that tragic night. It was true Kawaguchi called him and Inspector Nakamori during the collapse, telling them that he and Nakamura had entered the museum again to save them. He remembered the inspector shouting angrily at Kawaguchi and ordering him and Nakamura to retreat. Now that KID had mentioned it, Saguru was sure he did not heard Nakamura's voice, but then again, he lost consciousness not long after that, so he did not really know what happened during that time after he had lost consciousness. "Then that means you had been listening to the handy-talkie during the incident?" the blond asked the thief.

"Yes. I had to make sure you and Inspector Nakamori were still alive," KID answered.

Saguru did not say anything, thinking. He had never thought about Officer Kawaguchi before. He only saw him as a witness and victim of the incident. It was never occurred in his mind to investigate his testimony further. The officer claimed that he entered the building with Nakamura to save the inspector and Saguru, but along the way he and Nakamura got separated by the ruins and things were getting really dangerous there and he could not reach Nakamura through handy-talkie, so in the end Kawaguchi did not dare to go further and decided to get out quickly. Everything he said sounded believable and rational, but now that KID had told him about Nakamura's absence in handy-talkie despite his intention to save Saguru and Nakamori, the blond could not help but started to suspect his death. He could not help but to doubt Kawaguchi's testimony.

 _'A sword of justice, haunted by the terror of darkness and deceived by the crow.'_

Saguru's eyes widened when suddenly his mind recalled Akako's message. A sword of justice... a policeman? Kawaguchi?

The blond looked at the thief intently before he finally asked, "do you have any history with Officer Kawaguchi? Did you share any of your past with him?"

"Huh?" the thief looked taken aback, clearly never expecting that question. "No, except that he's a regular member of KID task force. Why?"

"Then have you done anything that might make people misunderstood you or harbor ill feelings towards you?" Saguru pressed, ignoring the thief's question.

"I believe I've done that many times. I'm sure you know I have haters around the world," KID answered, still a bit surprised by the sudden question.

"Yes, but—uh—have you done anything that might drive people mad? You know, really really mad at you that they wanted to kill you so much," the blond said, trying to express his curiosity into words. "I mean, what you've done made them have a logical reason to really hate you, to hold a grudge against you. Have you done things like that?"

KID did not answer. He was silent. Saguru waited his response anxiously; the silence in his room felt uncomfortable. The atmosphere was getting tenser. The blond realized he had hit a sensitive topic because the thief looked so dangerous all of a sudden.

"Is this relevant to the investigation?" KID asked back, somehow sounded cold and distant.

"Yes," Saguru nodded firmly.

"I see." KID paused for a moment, looking at the detective dubiously before continuing, "basically criminals are enemies to each other. I hope that will answer your question."

"You mean there are other criminals out there trying to kill you," the blond stated, but the thief only smirked faintly in return.

"Do you still have any question?" he asked.

"Yes. You said you thought Takahashi Natsumi wasn't guilty," Saguru said, "are you certain?"

"I am very certain, _Tantei-san_. She's innocent."

"Do you have any proof?"

KID only smiled. "I did say I investigated this case."

"So you do have the proof."

"More or less."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"Kawaguchi."

Saguru was perplexed. "Pardon?"

"Officer Kawaguchi," the thief said. "Make sure you investigate him thoroughly."

"Is that a clue to your evidence?"

"Yes."

Saguru did not say anything, only looking at the thief suspiciously. "You do know something else about Officer Kawaguchi, don't you?" he asked after a brief moment of silence. "It's not just because you didn't hear Officer Nakamura from handy-talkie, is it?"

KID smirked. "You'll know too if you investigate him further."

"You really aren't going to tell me?"

"A thief's investigation will not be useful in court. You have to investigate on your own."

"That's why you only intend to give me the clue."

"Exactly. I'm sure it's enough for you." The thief stood up from the chair, walking toward the window. "If there is nothing more to talk, I guess it's time for me to leave."

Saguru sighed before standing up from his bed and following the thief. "I guess it is. Thank you for coming tonight."

"No need to thank me. I only fulfill my obligation," the thief smiled. He climbed the window, ready to jump and fly away, but before that he turned back to see the detective for the last time.

"Good luck," he said, "and until next time, _Tantei-san_."

"Until next time, KID."

The thief nodded at him before jumping out of the window, disappearing from Saguru's sight. A moment later, the detective could see a white hang glider in the distance, flying away from his home. Saguru smiled as he looked at the white thief before he closed his window and once again threw himself on his bed. His brain was working, thinking about his conversation with the thief.

 _'There are other criminals targeting KID's life,'_ he thought. _'If there is someone wanting to kill him, it must be one of those criminals, but Officer Kawaguchi isn't a criminal, right? He's a police officer. KID task force. But Akako-_ san _'s message—a sword of justice—Officer Kawaguchi fits that phrase. Hmm... maybe I really need to investigate him further.'_

Saguru had decided. He would investigate Kawaguchi as the phantom thief had requested him to. He would investigate his background, his activity on the bombing incident, and his testimony. He would make sure whether or not that officer was telling him the truth, but all of that could wait until tomorrow. For now he would just get some sleep. He was too tired to do anything else.

TBC

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 **Thanks for reading. Review please :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 10**

 **Incongruities**

"Investigate Officer Nakamura's death?" Inspector Megure was surprised and confused after hearing Saguru's suggestion. He had guessed the teenager must have had some interesting thoughts about the cases when the inspector received him in his office that afternoon, but he had never expected him to have such an idea: investigating an officer who had died in the bombing incident. Megure looked at the high school detective who sat in front of him with curiosity. "Why? It's clear he died in that accident, Hakuba- _kun_."

"There is something strange about his death," Saguru answered. "He entered the museum again even though that time the building was collapsing. The witness claimed that he did that to save me and Inspector Nakamori, but we didn't hear him at all from our handy-talkie. He was supposed to call for us if he was really trying to save us, right?"

"But he was with Officer Kawaguchi that time and Officer Kawaguchi had called you all. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, but that can't ensure that Officer Nakamura was still alive at the same time."

"Wait a moment," Megure frowned. "Hakuba- _kun_ , are you suspecting Officer Kawaguchi?"

"I am."

Megure blinked in surprise. "But why? Why would he want to kill Officer Nakamura? They've known each other for a long time. They were regular members of KID task force. They had been working together without any problem."

"To frame Takahashi- _san_ and Oda- _san_ ," the blond answered.

"Aren't you thinking too much? Why would he want to frame them—no—why would he want to explode the museum in the first place?" Megure still could not understand. "Because he hates KID? He could try to kill that thief many times before—he's a member of KID task force! Why did he have to do it that night? Why did he choose explosives that might kill the other officers, including Inspector Nakamori too? You're not making any sense, Hakuba- _kun_."

"I know you'll say that, Inspector. I'm aware how exaggerating my idea is," Saguru replied, "but this bombing might be related to Officer Ogawa's murder. It might be related to my own life. I can't just dismiss this thought until I'm sure Officer Kawaguchi truly has nothing to do with this."

"But—"

"Please, Inspector, you must investigate him, especially his background and his relation to Kaitou KID," the teen cut him. "I already asked Detective Mouri and he is willing to investigate him. If I can, I will investigate it by myself, but since this case could be dangerous to me, my father has forbidden me to do so."

"You asked Detective Mouri?" Megure's eyes widened. "And he's willing to investigate?"

"Yes."

"Hmm..." the inspector did not say anything. He looked thoughtful for a brief moment. "Well, since Detective Mouri has accepted your suggestion, I'll think about it carefully," he finally said. "Thank you for telling me all this, Hakuba- _kun_."

Saguru smiled. "No, I'm the one who should be thankful." The teen stood up and bowed politely. "I'll trust you to make the best decision, Inspector. Please excuse me."

Megure and Saguru had a handshake before the blond left the inspector's room. After the teenage detective had left him, Megure sat back on his chair, pondering Saguru's suggestion to investigate Officer Nakamura's death. After quite a while, he called one of his subordinates, Sato Miwako, to come to his room.

"Sato- _kun_ , I need you to investigate Officer Kawaguchi Izumi's background," the inspector said to her when Sato had arrived in his office. "See if you can find any relation between him and Kaitou KID."

"Kawaguchi Izumi, the witness of bombing, Sir?"

"Yes, that man. If you need, you can ask Takagi- _kun_ or Chiba- _kun_ to help you, and be discreet. You have to investigate him without him knowing. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir!" Sato gave a salut before leaving Megure's office. After that, Megure opened a case file on his desk, a file about the bombing. He looked at a photo of Kawaguchi which was there for witness' documentation. The inspector tapped his fingers on the desk, once again thinking. He was curious whether or not the officer was guilty. He wanted to know whether or not Kawaguchi was telling the truth. He wanted to know if Saguru was right to suspect Kawaguchi.

Megure sighed tiredly. To be honest, he hoped that Saguru was right about Kawaguchi. This case was troublesome and complicated without enough clues to solve it. It made everyone tired. It even had made someone commit suicide. It would be good if Saguru was right because that meant they would have a clue to solve the case. It would mean that they were one step closer to the truth. Megure hoped he did not make any mistake by deciding to investigate Kawaguchi. He really hoped he had made the best decision.

~o0o~

"How was it, _Bocchama_?" _Baaya_ asked his master when Saguru had returned to their car after visiting Inspector Megure.

"Inspector Megure will consider it," Saguru answered. "It seems we were right to ask Detective Mouri first."

"You mean the inspector only decided to consider it after knowing we had asked Detective Mouri?"

"Yes." Saguru let out a tiny smile, then he entered the car. "Let's go home, _Baaya_. I don't want to be late for dinner."

 _Baaya_ obeyed her master. She immediately drove the car toward their home. They did not talk much along the way. Saguru was mostly silent, somehow looked busy with his own thoughts, so the housekeeper did not dare to interrupt him. When they finally arrived at home, Saguru locked himself in his study until dinner, busy with both the murder and the bombing case. He sorted out people that might become a witness for Kawaguchi's oddity, such as Officer Yamada and Jirokichi Suzuki who were staying with Nakamura and Kawaguchi before the two of them decided to enter the collapsing building. He also planned to interview a few police officers who were close enough with Nakamura and Kawaguchi. After that, the blond was busy watching the video of the bombing in internet, trying to spot anything unusual in that incident.

Saguru locked himself again after dinner, continuing his own investigation. He watched the news and bombing videos again and again. He read the copy of case files about the bombing and the murder repeatedly. He wrote down everything he knew about the bombing, everything that he had done on that fateful night. He tried to analyze the case based on every information he had known.

"The first explosion happened around here," Saguru mumbled as he made a circle in the copy of Grand Suzuki Museum's blueprint that he had acquired. After watching the video of bombing and recalled everything that had happened along the incident, the blond finally managed to predict the locations of the explosions. "The second explosion happened in the monitor room... the third occurred around here and the fourth perhaps happened here... after that Kawaguchi called us... and then the fifth explosion happened around this area... I'm not sure where the sixth until the tenth were... maybe around this since this place is badly damaged. The eleventh until the fourteenth might have happened somewhere around the left wing, and then I heard the fifteenth, but I'm not sure where it happened. I lost count here." Saguru paused for a moment, looking at his blueprint which was almost full of his circle marks. "Based on the video, the last two explosions most likely occurred around this area... Nakamura's remnants was found around here too, so he should have died here or at least his body was here when the explosion occurred."

Saguru looked at the blueprint intently, processing every information he had gathered. He realized there were some inconsistencies. Why was Nakamura's remnants found in the location of the last explosions? Why did he die there? Not to mention that location is quite far from the monitor room, quite far from the front door. It looked odd considering Nakamura entered the building to save Saguru who clearly was in the monitor room that time. The teen re-created the bombing in his head, trying to find the possible route that Nakamura might have been taken after he got separated from Kawaguchi. Saguru clearly remembered Kawaguchi called him and Inspector Nakamori after the fourth explosion, so the separation must occurred after that. The sleuth tried to predict the collapse that happened after the fourth explosion, estimating the location of separation and the possible route Nakamura would take after the separation, but after thinking for quite a while, Saguru could not find it plausible. It was impossible for Nakamura to arrive at his death location since there were many explosions happened along the way. The building collapsed badly around the area toward Nakamura's final location; there were so many ruins and it was impossible for the officer to stay alive without getting crushed along the way. Added with the fact that that area was the last area to get destroyed—it was as if that place was intended to be the last one destroyed—the death of Nakamura became more suspicious. It was as if Nakamura was intended to die there at the last moment of bombing.

 _'Nakamura probably had been there even before the bombs exploded,'_ Saguru thought. _'If Kawaguchi is truly responsible for Nakamura's death, then it is possible for him to take Nakamura there before he exploded the bombs, that's why the bombs there were the last one to explode. Kawaguchi needed time to escape first after all,'_ he concluded in his mind. _'Wait. Speaking of the bombs, why didn't it explode sooner?_ '

Saguru tapped his chin. He only realized it now. Why did not it explode sooner? If Kawaguchi was truly the culprit, he should already know that the police had found out about the bombs long before the first explosion happened. He should notice it as soon as Inspector Nakamori told KID task force about the bombs. He was a member of KID task force after all and he was tasked near the monitor room that time. That being said, why did not he explode the bombs sooner? Why did he wait that long?

"Perhaps because he was still inside the museum? He surely couldn't explode the bombs as long as he was still inside unless he wanted to die in the bombing too," Saguru said to himself. "But he would still be able to escape if he exploded the bombs in the other rooms. If he exploded several bombs, Inspector Nakamori certainly would order everyone to escape from the building. He would be able to escape with the other officers, so why didn't he do that?" The blond kept thinking until he realized something.

 _'Maybe if he did that too soon, his target would be able to escape too?'_ Saguru frowned. Why did the culprit bomb the museum again? Who was the target?

 _'If the culprit decided to bomb the museum at KID heist, it means the target would only appear at KID heist. The culprit wanted to eliminate something—or someone—that only appeared at heist,'_ he deduced. ' _Something that only appears at KID heist? Jewel?'_ Saguru frowned again. It was hard for him to mention things that only appeared at KID heist, but when he thought about someone that only appeared—or always appeared—at KID heist, it was very easy.

KID.

The thief obviously only appeared at his heist. Did that mean the culprit's target was KID? The culprit wanted to kill KID? The culprit bombed the entire museum and killed many officers only to have the phantom thief dead?

"That's too much," the blond commented his own thought. That was too much, he knew, but then again, he also knew that bomber rarely thought about innocent people. Hades Sabara was a perfect example for that.

"Okay, let's assume the target was KID. If Kawaguchi was the culprit, it means he bombed the museum at KID heist to kill KID." If he bombed the museum as soon as he heard the news of bombs from Inspector Nakamori, KID certainly would try to escape immediately. The thief was an escape artist, so there was a high probability he would be able to escape from the bombing. But if he did not explode the bomb sooner, KID would be able to defuse some of them. The bomb squad probably would be able to defuse every bombs. If that happened, the bombing would fail.

 _'But it didn't fail. The bombing was successful.'_ It was successful despite the fact that the bomb squad and KID had helped defuse the bombs. Did that mean the culprit had predicted this?

"Oh, but KID is still alive, so it means the bombing wasn't really successful if the culprit's target was really KID." Saguru murmured, rubbing his chin. _'But it's possible the target wasn't KID. There are people who are often present in KID heist: Inspector Nakamori, Edogawa-_ kun _, Detective Mouri, Ran-_ san _.'_ The teen thought again, but after thinking about them further, he found that it was unlikely the target of the bombing were the Mouris and Edogawa. The culprit could try to murder them anywhere outside KID heist. It was not hard to locate Edogawa and the Mouris. The same thing applied to Nakamori. It would not be difficult to obtain his address or meet him at his office. That meant the target most likely was KID since the thief would only appear at heist. There was no other way to harm him unless the culprit knew his real identity.

"It's unlikely the culprit knows KID's real identity," Saguru mumbled. "If the culprit already knew it, Kuroba- _kun_ would have been dead by now or at least would have gotten a murder threat. Ironically I'm the one who almost got murdered." He let out a tiny smile, but his smile soon disappeared when he suddenly realized something.

"I almost got murdered," he said in shock. "I... I often attend KID heist. I was present in the bombing. Could it be...?"

The bomber's target might be him. He clearly almost died in the bombing. Not only that, on that day he was tasked to guide the bomb squad, meaning he would be among the last people to get out of the building. And he was not good in escaping, unlike KID. He most likely would not be able to get out of the collapsing building. There was a high chance he would not survive the bombing. Not to mention both his attempted murder and the bombing appeared to be related to each other. The bomber might be the same person who wanted to kill him. The bomber might be the murderer of Officer Ogawa.

"If the culprit is really Officer Kawaguchi, why would he try to kill me?" Saguru did not understand. He and Kawaguchi certainly were not close, but that did not mean they harboured ill feelings toward each other—at least Saguru did not have that kind of feelings toward Kawaguchi and he never did anything that could make the officer resent him—so it was very confusing for him to imagine Kawaguchi suddenly want to kill him. What was his fault? What was Kawaguchi's motive for wanting to kill him?

Saguru only stared at the blueprint on his desk for a moment, still shocked with his own deduction. He was aware that his deduction did not have any proof yet. Not only that, he also had not been able to predict the motive. He did not know why Kawaguchi wanted to kill Nakamura if that was truly the case. He did not know why Kawaguchi bombed the museum on KID heist if the officer was really the culprit. He did not know why Kawaguchi tried to kill him if the murderer of Officer Ogawa was truly him. He was not sure yet who was the culprit's target although somehow it looked like the target was him, not KID. Saguru needed more information. He had to wait until Detective Mouri and the police finished their investigation on Kawaguchi.

"At least I can say that the bombing probably was planned to kill KID or me. Or maybe both of us," Saguru concluded. "We really have to interrogate Kawaguchi again to see if he's really innocent or not," Saguru added to himself. They really needed to interrogate Kawaguchi because there were inconsistency and oddity in Nakamura's death. It was impossible for the officer to be able to reach his final location without being crushed along the way unless he was already there before the explosions. Not to mention that area was the last one to get exploded as if it was intended to be the last one destroyed. Saguru had to tell the police and Detective Mouri about this. The teen looked at his schedule for tomorrow before he took his cellphone and called a certain number. After a while, Saguru could hear a familiar voice on the other end greeting him.

"Good evening, Ran- _san_ ," the blond replied his interlocutor politely. "This is Hakuba Saguru. May I speak with your father? I need to meet him tomorrow to discuss the bombing... Oh, he's out? Then I suppose you know his schedule? Can I make an appointment for tomorrow?... I see. I'll meet him at his agency at 5 pm then. Thank you, Ran- _san_. Good night."

TBC

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 **Thanks for reading. Review please :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 11**

 **Kawaguchi**

Two days later, Saguru was called by Inspector Megure. The inspector asked him to come to Detective Mouri's agency to discuss the result of investigation. The police had investigated Kawaguchi together with Detective Mouri. Since Saguru was the one who suggested the investigation and so far had always been helping them analyzing the case, they needed his opinion regarding this matter. The teen was very excited after hearing that news. As soon as the school was over, that day he immediately went to Detective Mouri'a agency with _Baaya_ who drove him there.

When they had arrived at Detective Mouri's residence, Saguru entered the agency alone, leaving _Baaya_ outside to watch for their car. The housekeeper did not want to enter the agency and insisted to guard the car. After the bombing, somehow _Baaya_ became paranoid. She was afraid someone would install explosion in their car when she and her master were not watching. Saguru just let her do what she wanted since he could not possibly force her. When he had stepped inside the agency, the blond could see that Detective Mouri had been waiting for him together with Inspector Megure who was accompanied by Detective Sato and Detective Takagi. Conan and Ran were also present in the room. Saguru greeted them politely before joining them, taking a seat next to Detective Mouri.

Inspector Megure cleared his throat before opening the discussion. "Okay, we're all finally here. We called you here, Hakuba- _kun_ , to discuss the result of investigation with you. We chose this place because Detective Mouri also needs to hear this. Shall we begin?"

"Yes, please, Inspector," Mouri answered. Saguru nodded his head in agreement.

"Sato- _kun_ , you may begin."

"Yes, Sir." Sato Miwako opened an envelope, taking out everything inside there onto the table. Saguru could see some photos and papers there. Ran immediately prepared a whiteboard and a marker to support the presentation. Sato and Takagi arranged all of the photos on the whiteboard in a chronological manner, and then the female detective started explaining.

"As we all know, we are here to discuss the result of investigation regarding one of the witnesses of the bombing, Officer Kawaguchi Izumi." Sato pointed a photo of Kawaguchi with a marker. Saguru listened to her intently as he looked at the photos on the whiteboard. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw a photo of people that he knew. He had seen those people before. That boy. And that man. There was also a photo of a woman there that Saguru could not recognize, but he could guess who that woman was.

 _'It can't be,'_ the teen thought in horror. _'Don't tell me Kawaguchi is related to them. No way...'_

"Officer Kawaguchi claimed that he entered the building again with Officer Nakamura to save Inspector Nakamori and Hakuba- _kun_ , but along the way they got separated by the ruins and since the building started to collapse horribly, Officer Kawaguchi decided to get out by himself," Sato continued her explanation. "All of us already know that Officer Nakamura died in the bombing and Officer Kawaguchi managed to get out alive, but he had to suffer moderate injury due to that incident. Recently we all suspect Officer Kawaguchi being responsible for Officer Nakamura's death since Hakuba- _kun_ reported to us that he didn't hear Officer Nakamura's voice on his handy-talkie. Based on this testimony, we investigated Officer Kawaguchi and today we are ready to present the result."

"Go on, Detective Sato," Mouri said.

Sato nodded. "After investigating his background, we could be sure that Officer Kawaguchi is related to Kaitou KID. This photo," Sato pointed a photo, "is a photo of Connery family. This is Jack Connery and his wife together with their son, Kenta Connery. Jack Connery is an Interpol officer who died in duty. To be precise, he died in KID and Nightmare heist last winter. Mrs. Connery had passed away before him a few years ago due to her illness."

"Hakuba- _kun_ , I heard you were there in that heist, so I'm sure you already know this, don't you?" Inspector Megure asked the teen.

"Yes. I was there in the crime scene," Saguru nodded. "What is the relation between this case and Officer Kawaguchi?"

"Officer Kawaguchi is Mrs. Connery's _kouhai_ in high school and middle school. Apparently he still maintains a good relationship with Connery family. He is very close to them," Sato answered.

"So he's Mrs. Connery's _kouhai_..." Saguru muttered. It turned out that Kawaguchi truly was related to Nightmare. Nightmare aka Jack Connery. Did this mean the bombing at KID heist actually was Kawaguchi's vengeance on the thief for the death of Jack Connery in one of his heists?

" _Ne, ne,_ what exactly happened in that heist, Hakuba- _niichan_?" Conan asked the blond curiously, snapping Saguru out of his own thoughts.

"Oh, well, it seems KID and Nightmare had a fight after the heist and Jack Connery somehow managed to confront them," Saguru answered. "Jack Connery got involved in the fight and again, he somehow managed to retrieve the jewel, but—" Saguru swallowed hard. This was a difficult point to tell. It was difficult because it did not really contain the truth. Saguru did not like hiding the truth, let alone lying, but this was something he should do for the sake of Kenta Connery.

"But?" Conan pressed.

"But it seemed Nightmare attacked him and pushed him down from a height. KID tried to save him, but he failed," Saguru continued softly, hiding his face from people around him. He hoped they could not detect his lie. He hoped that they would misinterpret his act as an expression of sadness. When Saguru lifted his head again, he felt relieved because judging by their sympathetic faces, they clearly did not detect his lie.

"How did you know Nightmare attacked him? How did you know KID had tried to save him?" Conan asked again.

"There was a KID's glove in one of Connery's hands. We also found Nightmare's mask with a KID's card piercing it not far from Connery's body, so we assumed both thieves had a fight and KID had tried to save Connery from falling down."

"But how could you be so sure the glove was KID's? It could belong to Nightmare, right?"

"Maybe, but KID never harmed people. On the contrary, Nightmare always harmed his partners, so it made sense if we assumed that Nightmare tried to harm KID that time and Jack Connery arrived there at the wrong time. Since there was a glove in Connery's hand, we deduced that someone had tried to help him, but it was unlikely for Nightmare to help his enemy, so the only possible person who could do that was KID. Therefore, we assumed the glove belonged to KID, though we could not really determine it since the glove vanished before the forensics could inspect it."

"Ooh..." Conan nodded childishly. "But the glove vanished? How come?"

"Not sure. Maybe KID stole it. After all his identity would be in danger if we managed to find his fingerprint in it."

"Hee..."

"Actually, that's pretty much what we've discovered from KID task force case files too," Takagi said. "By the way, Officer Kawaguchi and Officer Nakamura were present in that heist as members of KID task force."

"Okay, so Officer Kawaguchi is related to Connery's family and he was present in that tragic heist," Mouri concluded. "What else do we need to know?"

"We have interviewed some witnesses. Here are their photos," Sato answered as he pointed at a few photos attached on the whiteboard. "Advisor Suzuki Jirokichi, Officer Yamada, Officer Sakurai, and Officer Mikami. Advisor Suzuki and Officer Yamada were with Officer Kawaguchi and Officer Nakamura before they decided to enter the building again. Oficer Sakurai and Officer Mikami are another KID task force members. They're quite close to Officer Kawaguchi and Officer Nakamura." The female officer looked at the blond teenager. "Hakuba- _kun_ , surely you know Officer Mikami?"

"Yes. I gave him my birthday present on the day Officer Ogawa was murdered," Saguru replied. "You said that he's a close friend of Officer Kawaguchi and Officer Nakamura?"

"Indeed," Sato nodded. "Both Officer Sakurai, Officer Mikami, and Officer Yamada have told us that they never heard Officer Nakamura again after he went into the building with Officer Kawaguchi. They said they had been listening to their handy-talkie intently along the bombing because Inspector Nakamori and Hakuba- _kun_ were still inside, that was why they were pretty sure with their testimony. In addition, Officer Yamada also told us that Officer Kawaguchi rushed inside after the first explosion occurred, telling him that he was going to save Inspector Nakamori and Hakuba- _kun_. He dragged Officer Nakamura with him. Advisor Suzuki who was with them that time also told us the same thing."

"He dragged Officer Nakamura? Why?" Mouri asked.

"Officer Yamada said that perhaps he did that because he could not possibly save two people alone and therefore he needed someone to help him. Maybe he just chose Officer Nakamura randomly, leaving Officer Yamada to take care of Advisor Suzuki."

"And Officer Nakamura followed him just like that?" Conan asked.

"It seems so. Officer Yamada and Advisor Suzuki testified that they had seen them entering the building together."

"Hmm... how suspicious... Maybe we really need to suspect Officer Kawaguchi," Mouri commented.

"Yes. After this investigation, now we know that Officer Kawaguchi has a motive to commit the bombing," Inspector Megure agreed. "He probably wanted to kill KID in the bombing to avenge Jack Connery's death."

"What about me?" Saguru asked. "I've told you and Detective Mouri before that the culprit's objective might be me, Inspector. Does he have a motive to kill me?"

"As far as we know, no. He doesn't seem to have a grudge against you or your family. He's hardly related to you."

"I-I see..." Saguru was confused and worried at the same time. If Kawaguchi did not have any motive to kill him, then why did the bombing look as if it was intended to kill him?

"Well, we will know for sure after meeting him tomorrow. Don't worry, Hakuba- _kun_ ," Megure said as if he already knew what the blond was thinking.

"Ah, yes," the blond smiled _. 'That's right. It's still too early to assume the bombing has nothing to do with me. We still haven't talked with Kawaguchi.'_ "Does this mean you will interrogate him tomorrow, Inspector?" Saguru asked.

Megure nodded. "We're planning to interrogate him tomorrow and after that, we will investigate his house. We still have to ensure your deduction about Officer Nakamura's death that you've claimed to be unsensible."

"Well, it is unsensible," Saguru asserted. "It is impossible for him to die there without getting crushed along the way. It would make sense if he died along the way toward that place; he should have died there, not in that irrational place. Not to mention that place is quite far from the monitor room. Why in the world he was there? He should have gone to the monitor room if he really wanted to save me. He should not have ended in that place. It doesn't make sense. Moreover, that place happened to be the last place to get destroyed by the explosion. That was too good to be a coincidence."

"Yes, we agree with you, Hakuba- _kun_. Your point makes sense, that's why we have to ask Officer Kawaguchi about it," the inspector said, then he looked at Mouri and Saguru alternately. "Mouri- _kun_ , Hakuba- _kun_ , why don't you come to the interrogation tomorrow? We will be glad to have you there."

"Of course, Inspector. I will accept your invitation gladly," Mouri replied eagerly.

"Me too," Saguru said. "What time will you interrogate him, Inspector?"

Inspector Megure told them that the interrogation would begin at 11 am. Since Saguru needed to attend school at that time, the inspector promised to give his teacher a call so that the blond could be allowed to leave the school early. After that, their discussion in that day ended. Saguru returned to his car, going home together with _Baaya_.

The blond was silent on the way to his home. His gaze was directed toward houses and buildings on the roadside as his mind drifted to a certain conversation a few minutes ago in Mouri Detective Agency. That conversation really took his attention. The fact that Kawaguchi was related to Nightmare was something that Saguru had never expected. It surprised him. It shocked him. To think that this bombing might have something to do with Nightmare—suddenly a picture of Kaitou KID was plastered in his mind—did that thief know anything about this? Saguru started to feel worry about KID. He was worried about Kuroba. How would he feel when he knew that the bombing might have happened due to the death of Jack Connery?

Saguru did not think of Kuroba's feeling any longer—he could not—because suddenly another memory appeared in his mind, removing his worry over the phantom thief. This time it was Akako and her cryptic message.

 _A sword of justice, haunted by the terror of darkness and deceived by the crow._

A sword of justice. A policeman. Officer Kawaguchi.

Terror of darkness. Nightmare. Jack Connery.

The crow. Kaitou KID. Kuroba.

Officer Kawaguchi bombed the museum at KID heist because he was haunted by Nightmare, by the death of Jack Connery in KID and Nightmare heist. Officer Kawaguchi was deceived by the crow, Kaitou KID. Actually Kaitou KID deceived everyone except Saguru in that heist. The thief had made all of the police officers there believe that Jack Connery died in honor after confronting Nightmare to retrieve the stolen jewel. The thief managed to cover the true identity of Nightmare from the world. Saguru knew the truth, but he decided to keep quiet for the sake of Kenta Connery who always thought that his father was an honorable man.

 _'Maybe this is the meaning of that message,'_ Saguru thought as he closed his eyes tiredly. A man bombed a building and killed everyone in it only to take revenge on KID for Jack Connery's death. It was tragic, dreadful, awful, and unfair. Once again the blond's thought drifted to the phantom thief, to his classmate. If Saguru was KID, he surely would hate himself knowing a man tried to kill him with so many explosions that ended up killing innocent people. The detective began to worry again. How would Kuroba react to this? How would he cope with this agonizing truth? Would he be fine?

Saguru sighed. He really hoped the real target of the bombing was him and not KID. It would be better if the bombing had nothing to do with KID because he did not want to see the bombing damaging the phantom thief. He really hoped KID would be alright. The last thing he wanted to see was the phantom thief being broken beyond repair. He did not want to lose the current KID who always entertained people without harming them. He did not want to lose the gentleman thief. Saguru did not want to lose his friend.

TBC

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 **Thanks for reading. Any comment? Review please.**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 12**

 **Dead End?**

The next day, Saguru went to TMPD building to watch the interrogation of Kawaguchi. As usual, he watched from observation room. This time he was accompanied by Detective Mouri and Detective Takagi. The ones who interrogated Kawaguchi were Inspector Megure and Detective Sato.

The interrogation went well at first. Kawaguchi managed to reply every questions with reasonable answers. He did not make any mistake even though sometimes Megure and Sato asked him in different pattern of language, trying to test whether or not he could keep the same story if they asked him in different way. It seemed there was nothing wrong with him until Megure asked him about the oddity of Nakamura's death. At that point, Kawaguchi looked unsure even though he could still maintain his calmness. The inspector asked him where exactly he got separated with Nakamura and he answered that he got separated somewhere not far from the way to the monitor room. It was plausible, Saguru admitted, but then again, when the question arrived at why and how Nakamura was found in that certain irrational place, Kawaguchi could not give the same plausible answer. He just said that maybe Nakamura was lost since the ruins kept blocking his way. The interrogators argued that even if that was the case, Nakamura should not have been there at all; he should have been died along the way, killed by the ruins, not by the explosion. That argument clearly made Kawaguchi speechless. The officer could not reply it properly and in the end he told his interrogators that he did not know, that all he knew was the fact that he got separated from Nakamura in the bombing. After that, Megure and Sato explained to him that with his background as someone who was related to Jack Connery, he had a motive to commit the bombing in KID heist and therefore from then on, the police would treat him as a suspect. Kawaguchi clearly was shocked, even angry, but the police did not have any choice but to involve him as a suspect when he had a motive to commit such a crime added by the unsensible death of Nakamura, a man who was last seen with him in the bombing. And since this time Kawaguchi was officially declared as a suspect, the police would investigate his house immediately and they wanted Kawaguchi to cooperate with them. Kawaguchi left the interrogation room with a gloomy and depressed face. After that, Saguru heard Megure asking one of his subordinates from his cellphone to watch their newly suspect.

Saguru discussed the interrogation with Mouri, Megure, Sato, and Takagi for a few minutes before he decided to go home. The inspector had promised him and Detective Mouri the result of Kawaguchi's investigation, so the teen decided to wait until the police finished their investigation. Besides, he needed more information about Kawaguchi if he wanted to solve this bombing case. He needed the investigation result and without it, he would not be able to solve it. The same goes for Detective Mouri. All they could do for now was to wait for the investigation to be finished.

But their waiting ended in vain.

A day after the interrogation, the police finally obtained a search warrant to investigate Kawaguchi's apartment, but before they managed to do it, Kawaguchi's apartment was blown up, killing Kawaguchi and destroying almost everything in his house that might become evidences and clues for the bombing case. The only evidence they could obtain was a bottle of cyanide that managed to survive because it was stored in a room that was quite far from the bomb. Fortunately the explosion only damaged his apartment, not his neighbors too, but still, that incident hit the police hard. With the suspect died and many possible evidences being destroyed, they once again was forced to face a dead end. Detective Mouri was irritated and disappointed, so was Saguru. They were so close to the truth but now suddenly they became so far from it. It really annoyed them.

The police investigated the bombing in Kawaguchi's house and finally they declared that Kawaguchi committed suicide. It was a suicide bombing judging by how bad Kawaguchi's body was after the explosion, shattered to pieces. The bomb must have been very close to his body. Not to mention some police officers that were tasked to watch him did not see anyone beside him going in and out of the house. That was why that incident ended up as a suicide case.

The question was why did Kawaguchi commit suicide bombing? He certainly did not need to do that unless he was guilty in the bombing case. And it was a suicide _bombing_ , happened after he was officially declared as a _bombing_ suspect. When the police put two and two together, it only made sense Kawaguchi was truly related to the bombing case. There was a high probability the officer was the culprit.

The bombing case might have ended that way, with Kawaguchi as the culprit who committed suicide before the police could arrest him, but what about Saguru's murder attempt? What about Ogawa's murder? One of the bombing suspects, Takahashi, committed suicide after the police made her a suspect of Ogawa's murder. What about Keiko's testimony about Takahashi who looked similar with the suspicious woman who might be the culprit of Ogawa's murder? Why did the bombing look like it was intended to kill Saguru too? Those things were still mysteries. Unanswered questions. It was true that they found the cyanide that had been used to kill Officer Ogawa, but the one who gave Saguru a chocolate coated with it was clearly a woman. They could not decide the murderer was Kawaguchi only based on the cyanide in his house. Saguru, Mouri, and the police had had hoped to be able to solve the murder after the police investigated Kawaguchi further, but now with Kawaguchi's suicide bombing, their hope was only hope. They had lost an important key to achieve it. They needed to find another way to solve the murder. They might have to start from zero again.

 _From zero again_. Saguru always felt irritated every time he remembered it. The murderer was still lurking around, still threatening his life, testing his patience, testing his mind. Unconsciously the blond began to distance himself from his friends again as he was becoming busier trying to solve the murder case. If Kuroba did not remind him, Saguru was sure he would forget all his friends and maybe also hurt them in the process; he had made Kuroba and Aoko worry over him, he had made Keiko feel guilty too. He did not want to hurt their feelings, really. He did not want to make them worry. When he realized how the case had tried to mess with his life, Saguru became furious. He hated the culprit. He wanted to catch them at all costs, but he could not do anything when he did not have any clue. The culprit had outsmarted him, outsmarted Detective Mouri, outsmarted the police. Just who was that woman who had given him a poisoned chocolate? Why did she look like Takahashi? Why did she use a pair of gloves that resembled Takahashi's gloves?

Thinking about Takahashi made Saguru remembered Akako's message and KID's testimony. Akako told him her message after he had a discussion about Takahashi with Aoko and Keiko. That girl told him to catch the real culprit. She did not believe Takahashi was guilty in his murder case and her cryptic message clearly told him the culprit of Ogawa's murder. KID's testimony seemed to agree with her. He clearly stated that Takahashi was innocent and he claimed he had evidence for her innocence. So if Akako and KID were right, then Kawaguchi was responsible for Ogawa's murder. Takahashi was really innocent, meaning that the mysterious woman only pretended to be Takahashi, disguising as her only to frame her. Kawaguchi could be the woman in disguise as well as the bomber, meaning he was the culprit of both cases, murder and bombing, and now that Kawaguchi had died, Saguru should not have anything else to worry about. He did not have to worry someone might try to kill him, but the teenage detective could not believe that. He could not believe the death of Kawaguchi was the end of everything simply because of his suicide bombing.

If Kawaguchi really was responsible for the bombing and the murder, he did not need to bomb himself to commit suicide. He could choose a calmer way to die, like swallowing cyanide or gunning his head; he had a bottle of cyanide at home and since he was a policeman, he surely had a gun. There was no need for him to bomb a whole room and destroy everything in it including some things that could be used as evidences—smartphone, laptop, and notebooks for examples—if he intended to commit suicide due to his guilt. He did not have to worry about the police finding the evidences had he intended to die before they could arrest him.

The way Kawaguchi died did not make sense to Saguru. It was almost like he was killed by someone else. It looked like someone tried to protect something by killing Kawaguchi and destroying his home, destroying all the evidences except the cyanide. It looked like someone tried to frame Kawaguchi for Ogawa's murder. And it seemed that Kawaguchi knew something valuable and he had things that could be used as proofs of his knowledge. Someone did not want that knowledge to be leaked out, that was why Kawaguchi was killed by an explosive that also destroyed many possible evidences.

The game had not finished yet, the blond was aware of that. Moriarty was still playing, challenging all the other players: Saguru, the police, Detective Mouri, and Kaitou KID—

 _'Wait—KID?'_

Saguru's eyes widened when he remembered something about the phantom thief in the middle of the class. It had been four days since the death of Kawaguchi, two days since the police declared him to commit suicide bombing. And here Saguru was, in English class, daydreaming about the case, not paying attention to his teacher at all. Not that he would need to pay attention. His teacher also never expected him to. Every teacher in Ekoda High knew that his English was better than any English teachers in his school.

Saguru glanced at his magician classmate who was sitting in a different row, absentmindedly playing with his smartphone. Even the legendary phantom thief found the class to be boring, but that was not what Saguru wanted to know. What he wanted to know was something that related to KID. He just remembered that the thief had his own plans regarding the bombing case. Maybe he knew some things Saguru did not know yet. After all, the thief had admitted that he had been doing his investigation—his plans—before he met Saguru that night. He also told him that he had evidence for Takahashi's innocence. He clearly had important information from his investigation that was not known either by Saguru or the police.

 _'He definitely knows more. Maybe he can help us, but how am I going to ask his help?'_ Saguru thought. He certainly could not contact the thief. The only thing he could do was talking to his civilian persona, Kuroba, and Kuroba certainly would not pay attention to him if he treated him as Kaitou KID. If he wanted to talk with Kuroba, somehow he had to do it without making his friend feel accused of being the phantom thief. How would he bring this issue in front of Kuroba? How would he convince the thief to share his information with him? It was not an easy task, Saguru knew it. Talking to KID or Kuroba had never been easy with all of his lies, his distractions, and his poker faces. Saguru needed to be careful, watchful, and patient every time he confronted the thief, every time he talked with Kuroba. It really would not be easy for him.

Saguru sighed in frustration, massaging his temple. The murderer had troubled him so much and now he also needed to deal with the phantom thief. Another trouble. He was tired. Very tired. He could only hope his talk with Kuroba later would not end up adding him another problem.

~o0o~

When the lunch period finally arrived, Saguru hurriedly walked toward Kuroba's seat. The magician was bickering with Aoko when the blond approached him.

"Excuse me, Aoko- _san_ , may I borrow Kuroba- _kun_ for a moment? There is something I need to discuss with him," Saguru said. Both Kuroba and Aoko blinked in bewilderment.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Thank you," the blond smiled politely to the girl before dragging Kaito from his seat. He did not wait for their answers, ignoring the confusion on their faces. The magician yelped in surprise as he tried to follow the detective's long and fast footsteps. Meanwhile, Aoko could only watch them walking out of the classroom. She looked curious, but did not try to follow them.

"Wait, Hakuba!" The magician said as the blond dragged him forcefully along the corridor. "Oi, where are you taking me?"

"The rooftop will suffice," the blond replied, still dragging him. When they had reached the rooftop, Saguru let go of Kaito's arm, looking at the magician intently. "I need your perspective again, Kuroba- _kun_."

"Oh." Kaito looked annoyed. He huffed as he took a seat on the roof. "You don't have to drag me, you know. I'll listen to you if you asked me nicely."

"I'm not sure about that. You're famous as someone who often spends his free time in school roaming around pranking people. I was afraid you would disappear from my sight as soon as free period arrived."

"Heh. Maybe you're right." The magician snickered. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Saguru took a seat beside his friend. "The case, of course. What else?"

"It's done, isn't it?" Kaito looked at the blond confusedly. "I heard the news reported that the culprit was Officer Kawaguchi, though it's unfortunate he committed suicide bombing before the police could arrest him."

"But that doesn't mean he is also the murderer of Officer Ogawa," Saguru replied.

"Wait. But I heard he was involved in your murder case. The police had found a bottle of cyanide in his home, so they thought maybe Kawaguchi was the culprit in Officer Ogawa's murder."

"It's not that simple," Saguru shook his head. "It's—it's too straightforward, too obvious. The cyanide—it's just there, untouched, unharmed, secure. It's miraculously safe from the explosion as if it was intended to be safe from the start. It's the only evidence that survive; there was nothing else but cyanide." He paused for a while. "It was clean, Kuroba- _kun_. Clean. Almost like a perfect crime."

"So you're telling me Kawaguchi might have been murdered."

"Yes."

"By who?"

"Moriarty."

"And this Moriarty is?"

"No idea."

"Hmm..." Kaito hummed in contemplation. Saguru did not say anything, only looking up at the sky, waiting for his friend to say something. After a while, the magician asked, "what about the other suspects? Oda and Shibata?"

"They will be released soon since the evidences clearly point at Kawaguchi. The police still doubt his suicide bombing, but with no more clues and evidences, I'm afraid in the end they will have to close both cases with Kawaguchi as the culprit."

"You don't want that."

"Of course. I know this case is more than that. It involves someone else other than Kawaguchi."

"But don't you think maybe you're just overthinking things?"

"I don't think so," the blond replied sharply. "Kawaguchi's death is suspicious enough to make me believe that his death isn't a suicide. If he wanted to kill himself, he didn't have to choose such a destructive way. He could just swallow the cyanide or shoot his own head with his gun. Why bother destroying his own home? To erase the evidence? He did not have to do that if he really intended to die before the police could arrest him. Besides, let's just say he wanted to erase the evidences for whatever reason, but why did he leave the cyanide unscathed? It was an important evidence! He should have destroyed it with everything else in the explosion."

"I see," Kaito responded. "So what kind of perspective do you want from me?"

"Tell me what you think about this," Saguru answered firmly. "Be honest with me and don't hide anything. Tell me what you really think."

Kaito only looked at his friend for a moment before finally he nodded. "Okay. I think I can do that much," he said, straightening his back. "What I think about this case, huh? Well, I guess it's pretty much the same as yours. And I do agree with you that this case involves someone else other than Kawaguchi, someone who might be your Moriarty, pulling the strings, planning the scenario... Perhaps Kawaguchi was guilty, perhaps he was the bomber, but the murderer? I'm not really sure. I have a hunch Kawaguchi was only one of Moriarty's minions. The one who murdered Officer Ogawa might be someone else, someone smarter and more skilled, maybe. This murderer tried to murder you but failed, so he or she decided to frame Kawaguchi when he or she realized that the police had found some clues that pointed him as the bomber. It seems your murderer knew when and how to take advantage of other people's crime."

"if you said it like that, then the bombs..." Saguru rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The bombs... the murderer might also killed Kawaguchi... this time not with poison, but with an explosive, so there is a chance the murderer was Kawaguchi's partner in crime. He or she might have provided Kawaguchi with dozens of explosives for KID heist."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too," Kaito said.

"But..."

"But?"

"The police were sure they watched Kawaguchi everyday. They were sure there was not anyone going in and out of his apartment but Kawaguchi himself, so... so..." Saguru's eyes widened when he realized something. "Oh God."

"Hakuba?" Kaito became uneasy when he saw his friend in a state of shock. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Officer Ogawa's murderer—that woman—she looked like Takahashi," Hakuba explained hastily. "And the police didn't see anyone except Kawaguchi going in and out of his own home, so what if—what if at a certain point, the police didn't realize that they were no longer watching him? What if Kawaguchi that they had seen—at a certain point—actually was not him, but someone else?"

This time it was Kaito's turn to be shocked.

"You... you mean that woman and Kawaguchi's killer is skilled in disguise?" the magican asked in disbelieve.

"Exactly."

"But if that's true, then the murderer's skill is... no way." Kaito looked at his friend in horror. "No way."

"It must be very good. I know. Maybe on par with KID," the detective said. "Kuroba- _kun_ , I know you have some skills in diguising—I've seen you playing with your disguise with Aoko- _san_ quite often—therefore I must ask you if you know anyone who is skilled in disguise, at least as good as KID."

"I... I'm not sure," Kaito answered hesitantly. "My dad, I guess. After all I learned disguise from him, but he's dead."

"Anyone else?"

"Uh... Kaitou Corbeau?"

"Other than him."

"No, I'm afraid I really don't know." Kaito shook his head. "I've heard my dad once had a few apprentices when I was little, so maybe at that time my dad taught them disguise technique, but I really know nothing about them. There are some magicians out there who are skilled in disguise too, but I don't know anything about them other than their names."

"Could you please give me their names? Both the magicians and your father's apprentices. Surely you can find out about them by asking your mother, right?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll try to ask her," the magician agreed, "but Hakuba, this is..."

"What?"

Kaito bit his bottom lip, looking very concerned. "You're facing a dangerous case, Hakuba. A person who is skilled in disguise isn't someone you want as an enemy. And people like that rarely appear in news. They don't want to be found. they are very clever, very astute, very watchful."

"They are just like KID, maybe minus a showman mentality. I know," Saguru smiled lightly.

"You'd better drop this case. Leave it to the police."

"When the murderer clearly wants to kill me? Not a chance."

"Moriarty may be willing to spare your life if you aren't involved too deep."

"I'm not going to beg their mercy, Kuroba- _kun_. I'm a detective and it is my job to uncover the truth and bring them to justice. I'm not going to drop this case," the blond stated firmly.

"But Hakuba, they might have taken advantage of Kawaguchi's hatred towards KID to kill you! You almost got killed in that bombing!" the magician looked desperate. "They literally deceived Kawaguchi—if it's true that your murderer provided Kawaguchi with explosives—they made him play into their hands! They are tricky, manipulative, and since they were able to provide Kawaguchi with so many explosives, that means they must be wealthy and resourceful. It won't be easy to capture them."

"Don't worry, it's not like I'm alone in this," Saguru replied. "I have Detective Mouri and TMPD helping me. It will be fine, Kuroba- _kun_. Besides, I'm not a coward. You can't expect me to back down after they tried to kill me."

"I'm not saying you're a coward, Hakuba. I'm merely worried about you."

"Thank you, but your concern is not necessary. I've made up my mind. I'll try my best not to be tricked or manipulated or deceived by them if that can help to ease your mind." The blond let out a tiny smile, but when his mind suddenly recalled Kaito's words, his smile faltered.

 _"They literally deceived Kawaguchi..."_

"Hakuba?" the magician called his classmate worriedly when he realized the sleuth was lost in thoughts again.

"Deceived..." the detective mumbled. "They deceived Kawaguchi... the crow..." he was stunned. Had he misinterpreted Akako's message? Could it be that the crow in the message actually meant Moriarty and not Kaitou KID? When Saguru looked at his classmate again, he found Kaito's eyes widened in terror. That was odd.

"Kuroba- _kun_? What's wrong?" the blond called him. Kaito's expression changed instantly. The shock on his face disappeared, replaced by his usual expression.

"Nothing. It's just—well—you look unusual recently," he said with his convincing act. "You suddenly stopped talking. You suddenly lost in your own thoughts when you are clearly in the middle of conversation with me. It's making me uneasy."

"Oh, sorry."

Kaito shrugged. "No, it's okay. You probably got an idea all of a sudden, and if I didn't hear you wrong, you said something about crow? What do you mean by that?"

Saguru frowned. Crow? Was Kaito surprised by that? Did he know something related to it? But no matter how hard Saguru tried, he could not be so sure whether or not the magician knew anything about the crow. His poker face was intact, unreadable. The blond could not see what was in Kaito's mind.

"I'm not sure yet," Saguru finally answered. "All I know is that it may have something to do with the case, with our Moriarty."

"How did you know that?"

"Let's just say I heard whispers here and there. Nothing for you to be concerned about."

"Really?" the magician looked at Saguru dubiously.

"Yes. Why? You know something about it?" Saguru asked back, but the magician immediately shook his head.

"How would I know if a detective like you doesn't know?" he snorted.

"Is that so," Saguru glanced doubtfully at his friend, but he did not press. Instead, he decided to change the topic. "Hey, Kuroba- _kun_."

"What?"

"You know the bombing was assumed to kill KID."

"Yeah, so?"

"The motive might be Officer Kawaguchi's revenge for the death of Jack Connery in KID and Nightmare heist."

"What are you trying to tell me, Hakuba?" Kaito asked impatiently.

Saguru took a deep breath, looking at the magician hesitantly for a while before he finally said, "are you okay?"

"Huh?" Kaito was perplexed. "Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You know why." The blond diverted his eyes from his classmate. "I do hope you're okay, Kuroba- _kun_."

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"I hope so."

Kaito huffed. "Does this have something to do with your suspicion of me being KID?"

"Yes."

"I'm not KID, Hakuba, so of course I'm fine. And you don't have to worry about KID- _sama_. He won't get depressed over something like that."

The blond glanced worriedly at him. "He won't?"

"He won't," Kaito nodded confidently. "You should be worried about yourself instead of him. Your case obviously is dangerous."

Saguru smiled. "I'll be grateful if KID is really okay. I'm worried he might get depressed to the point he doesn't want to perform heist anymore. I will lose my opportunity to catch him if that happens."

"Hey, don't underestimate KID! He isn't that weak!"

The blond chuckled. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry."

"You don't sound sorry at all," the magician muttered annoyingly. "But seriously, Hakuba, you'd better stay away from this case."

"No way."

"Hakuba, I'm serious!"

"I'm serious too."

Kaito only looked at the sleuth for a moment, trying to come up with something to convince his friend, but in the end he only sighed. "You really won't listen to me, huh?"

Saguru nodded.

"Even though your life will be at stake?"

"My life has been at stake ever since Officer Ogawa was murdered."

"You're so stubborn."

"This is nothing compared to troubles surrounding KID, you know," Saguru said. "He once told me that criminals are enemies to each other. Thay guy must be in constant danger."

"He's a pro in crime world, not like you."

"Maybe." Saguru smiled bitterly as he thought about the danger Kaito had to face by masquerading as Kaitou KID. The blond was angry, worried, and hurt at the same time when he remembered how close his friend had been to death. "Speaking of KID, I think he'll support us in this case, so Kuroba- _kun_ , really, you have nothing to worry about," the sleuth added, trying to distract his mind from his complicated feelings.

Kaito frowned. "Why would KID support you? You're his enemy."

"He's a witness in the bombing case and he has his own investigation about it, so I think he knows some information that we don't. And since he's a gentleman, I doubt he will keep such information in secret knowing that it may help to uphold justice. It will be unfair for Officer Kawaguchi to get all the blame, don't you think? Perhaps he was responsible for the bombing, but we can't really say the same about the murder. And it will be unfair too for Takahashi- _san_ ; she was framed for the murder and the bombing. If he really is a gentleman thief, KID wouldn't let such injustices happen."

"Sometimes I wonder what kind of detective you are, Hakuba," the magician said. "I can't understand why you trust KID so much."

"He might be a criminal, but he's trustworthy," Saguru replied earnestly. He stood up and looked at his classmate. "Thank you for your time, Kuroba- _kun_. This conversation surprisingly is very helpful."

"I'm glad. It means I didn't spend my lunchtime holding my hunger for nothing," Kaito sneered.

Saguru laughed. "Right. I'm sorry. Shall we return to our class? I'm a bit hungry too."

The magician stood up in annoyance. "If the cafeteria has ran out of food, I'm going to prank you for eternity."

"That is unlikely. We still have much time until the break is over, meaning the cafeteria will still have some foods for you," the blond replied nonchalantly. "And if the worst truly happens, I'll be glad to share my _bento_ with you, though I'm sure you don't have any problem asking the girls for food. You seem to be skilled in it."

"You know, Hakuba? You really are annoying."

"Then our feelings are mutual. No worries," Saguru responded amusedly as he stepped inside the building. "Come on. The food won't be waiting for you."

The magician huffed exasperatedly before he followed the detective, bickering with him along the way until they had to part ways. Saguru continued his trip to his class while Kaito ran as fast as he could toward the cafeteria. When he had arrived at class, the blond immediately opened his lunchbox. He smiled as he ate his _bento_. He was relieved his conversation with Kaito ended up satisfying instead of giving him another problem. He just hoped the magician would consider his request for the phantom thief. He really needed KID's investigation to solve the case.

Speaking of KID, the blond suddenly remembered Akako's message. _The crow_. Was it really not KID? Did it mean Moriarty? The blond made a mental note to ask the witch after finishing his lunch. There was a possibility Akako did not know the meaning of her own message—after all she admitted that she did not know the culprit—but there was also a possibility she might know whether or not the phantom thief was included in the message since she was sure Takahashi was not the culprit. Saguru had to ensure it because if the crow really was not KID, then maybe he really was playing against a dangerous opponent.

Maybe Moriarty really existed in the real world.

TBC

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 13**

 **Illegal Evidences**

Akako did not know. She knew nothing about the crow. She did not know whether or not KID was involved in her message. Saguru did not blame her. It was not her job to decipher such a cryptic message. It was his job as a detective. She had helped him more than enough just by getting that message for him although he still was not sure how she obtained it. She did say that she received it from Lucifer, but who was this Lucifer? Akako did not want to tell him more about that person, so Saguru could not help being curious about Lucifer's identity. It could not be the demon Lucifer, right? No, impossible. It could not be. If Saguru thought about it logically, Lucifer must be an alias of someone, not a real demon, and whoever this Lucifer was, Saguru had to admit that that person was quite resourceful for being able to gather such specific clues no matter how cryptic it sounded.

Since Akako did not know anything about the crow, Saguru could not ensure whether or not the crow was KID. It might be KID. It might be someone else other than KID. If it was not KID, then at least the crow had some similar characteristics with KID. Maybe the crow was the woman who gave him the poisoned chocolate. There was a high chance she had some of KID's characteristics. She might be able to pull off a perfect disguise like KID, she might be resourceful like KID, she might be manipulative since she was able to manipulate Kawaguchi, and she certainly was intelligent. If the crow was not her, then maybe it meant her boss. Someone who ordered her to kill Saguru, someone who, as Kuroba had said, pulled the strings and planned the scenario. Someone like Moriarty.

Saguru searched for any information about any crimes and criminals associated with crow. It turned out that crow was very popular among criminals. Many of them used crow as their alias or symbol. Some of the crows had been arrested while the rest were still fugitives. One notable criminal who used crow as his name was Kaitou Corbeau. He was very similar to Kaitou KID, but Saguru could not picture him as the Moriarty because that guy had a fanbase and never harmed people, meaning he was also a gentleman thief like KID and therefore it was impossible for him to kill people.

"Speaking of crow, that case was related to crow too," Saguru murmured as he remembered a case a long time ago, when someone invited seven detectives including him to a huge mansion called the Sunset Manor. The root of the problem in that case was a man called Karasuma Renya. He had died almost half a century ago and the criminal of Sunset Manor case had been arrested. That was why Saguru doubted his Moriarty had anything to do with that case.

"But Kuroba- _kun_ knows this crow," the blond said to himself. "His expression that time when I said something about crow—he looked shocked, perhaps fearful too—he knows it is dangerous." Saguru leaned on his chair in his study, looking thoughtfully at his laptop that he had been used for hours to look for any information about crimes that were connected to crow. He really wished he could make Kuroba talk about this, about the crow, but the blond knew very well the magician would not want to talk. After all he was supposed to know nothing about crime. Maybe KID would be willing to tell him about the crow, but the thief himself did not want to appear yet, still hiding behind his civilian identity for who knows how much longer. For now Saguru had to be content only with a knowledge that the thief truly knew something important that could be a clue to solve the case, to reveal the identity of Moriarty.

It had been two days since his last conversation with Kuroba on the rooftop. Saguru wondered what the magician had been thinking since then. Kuroba still looked and behaved like his normal self, tricky and full of mischiefs. The blond wondered if he would really help him solve the case. He wondered if the phantom thief would be willing to tell him the result of his own investigation. It had been two days. What was he waiting for?

But it turned out Saguru did not need to wait for more than a week because in the fifth day since his conversation with Kuroba, the phantom thief finally appeared. In his own way. School had just ended when Inspector Megure called Saguru to come to TMPD building immediately. He told him that they finally found evidences for Kawaguchi's bombing. At first Saguru did not really understand how and why the police could obtain it, but when he had arrived at TMPD building and sat down in a meeting room together with Detective Mouri, Conan, Inspector Megure, and Detective Sato, the teen finally understood.

KID gave them the evidences through Detective Mouri who immediately told the police. The police examined it with the help of forensic team. When Megure called Saguru to tell him to go to TMPD building, the police had just finished their examination.

"KID stole Kawaguchi's data. No doubt," Megure said as he and Sato presented the evidences to Mouri and Saguru. "He had been spying on Kawaguchi's smartphone for weeks, even before Takahashi- _san_ committed suicide."

"So he has suspected Kawaguchi long before we suspect him. He's really sneaky," Mouri commented, "but thanks to him we can investigate this case further and it's good to know that he's still alive after that bombing."

Saguru did not say anything. He was busy with his own thoughts. The thief had been tapping Kawaguchi's smartphone even before Takahashi died. KID visited him after Takahashi had died. It made sense that the thief asked Saguru to investigate Kawaguchi that night. He already knew that Kawaguchi was suspicious. And KID did not want to tell him his investigation result that night because what he did—tapping someone else's smartphone—was considered an illegal activity. Such evidences obtained by an international criminal through an illegal method surely would not be trusted easily by the court. The court most likely would still doubt it even now when the authorities could not do anything except believe in KID's investigation, so finally Saguru decided to bring it up in the meeting.

"These are evidences gathered by an international criminal using illegal method," the teen began, "so how will the court respond to it? Will they trust it?"

"We don't know for sure, but we can try to bring it to the court. If they can't trust it, then that's it. I'm afraid when that happens, we will have to find another way," Megure responded.

"So it is a fifty-fifty situation. I guess it can't be helped then," the blond concluded. "So what are these evidences, Inspector?"

"Ah, about that, Sato- _kun_ , you may explain," the inspector ordered Detective Sato.

"Yes, Sir," Sato replied before she presented her guests a few data in a laptop using a projector in the meeting room. "As you can see on the screen, KID managed to obtain so many information about Kawaguchi. He tapped every texts, phone calls, contacts, chats, e-mails, almost everything. Not only that, he also stole a few files from his computer—Kawaguchi owned a laptop, so we assume KID stole these files from his laptop. These files contain—ehm—something that most likely to be a bombing plan and Officer Nakamura's murder."

"A bombing and murder plan?" Conan repeated in curiosity.

"Yes. Here it is." Sato opened a file. As soon as it was opened, Saguru could see pictures of explosives, Grand Suzuki Museum's blueprint, and words that described a bombing plan and murder of Nakamura. He blinked in surprise. What an evidence they had obtained!

"This is amazing!" Mouri looked impressed. "It is clear now that Kawaguchi is the bomber! And he also murdered Officer Nakamura!"

Saguru had to agree with Detective Mouri. He really looked at a bombing and a murder plan. Bombing in Grand Suzuki Museum and murder of Officer Nakamura.

"It seems Hakuba- _kun_ was right about Officer Nakamura's death," Megure said. "As you can see in this file, Kawaguchi had planned to kill him in the bombing. He made sure he took Officer Nakamura into the museum, made him unconscious, and left him in the last place of explosion. He also had planned to left the bomb controller with Officer Nakamura so that it would be destroyed by the explosion."

"And he exploded the monitor room after the first explosion. He didn't want me and Inspector Nakamori to witness him dragging unconscious Officer Nakamura," Saguru continued.

"That's right. And the last bomb was really timed to explode after he had escaped from that room, leaving Nakamura and the controller to be destroyed. He eliminated the evidence," Mouri added. "It is obvious this crime was carefully planned."

"I agree, but these evidences can't explain Officer Ogawa's murder," Saguru pointed out. "What else do we have?"

"Well, Kawaguchi joined KID haters group in social media. It is also the same group in which Shibata- _san_ is joining as its admin. So based on this, we think Kawaguchi's motive in the bombing is really his hatred towards KID after the death of Jack Connery," Sato explained.

"How cruel of him, killing innocent people too," Conan commented.

"Yes. This is something beyond our understanding," the female officer nodded in agreement. "We can't comprehend why he killed his comrades as well when his target should only be KID. Maybe we can understand why he killed Nakamura: to frame Oda- _san_ and Takahashi- _san_ , but the victim clearly was not only him."

"Well, bombers are always difficult and selfish. They often don't care about innocent people as long as their purpose is achieved," Mouri said. "We don't have to dwell in that topic, do we? Why don't we continue our main purpose here?"

"That's right. Let's get back to the main topic about the evidences," Megure agreed. "There are still a few things we have obtained from KID's evidences. It's related to KID haters. Sato- _kun_ , please continue."

Sato nodded, then she continued the explanation. "As I said before, KID had tapped almost everything in Kawaguchi's smartphone, including e-mails and chats. There are some suspicious mails and chats here, hinting us that Kawaguchi had a partner in crime, someone he had met in KID haters group. This person helped him make bombing plans and provided him with explosives."

"How can you be so sure that person was from that group?" Conan asked.

"We asked Shibata- _san_ about it and he remembered that person—I mean he remembered that person's username in the group—but unfortunately that person left the group not long after the bombing."

"Left the group after the bombing? That's certainly suspicious," Kogoro said.

"Indeed," Saguru agreed. "Detective Sato, do you know when was the last time Kawaguchi had a contact with that person?"

"According to these data, they had their last contact a week after Takahashi- _san_ 's death."

"I see." Saguru was silent for a moment, thinking. _'A week after Takahashi-_ san _'s death... KID had visited me that time. I also had asked Inspector Megure to investigate Kawaguchi.'_ "So it means that person left him after the police had suspected him."

"Yes," Megure said. "It seems his partner is quite smart and resourceful for being able to notice our suspicion towards Kawaguchi even before we interrogated him."

"So who is this person?" Conan asked again.

"Wermut," Sato answered. "That's that person's username in KID haters group."

"Wer...mut?" Conan repeated slowly, eyes widening in... shock? Disbelieve? Saguru did not understand. Why did that boy make such a face after hearing such a name? Even Detective Mouri did not look like that. Did Conan know something about it?

"What is it, Edogawa- _kun_?" Saguru asked. "You seem to recognize that name."

"Uh, well..." the bespectacled boy looked nervous. "It's just... is it really a name? I'm sure I've read it somewhere before, but it wasn't a name. It was like—like a foreign word—I'm not sure."

"But it's only a username, Conan- _kun_. It doesn't have to be sounded like a real name," Sato explained.

"Hee... so that's why it's weird," the boy commented innocently. Saguru glanced at Conan curiously. Somehow he had a feeling the boy was hiding something, but the blond decided not to press it. Instead, he decided to play along with the boy's "clue", wermut as a word. Maybe that way he would know what exactly that boy was hiding.

"But Edogawa- _kun_ is right. Wermut is a foreign word. It is from German," Saguru said.

"Oh," Sato responded, then she frowned. "But that has nothing to do with this case, does it?"

"I'm not sure, but at least now we know that perhaps Kawaguchi's smart partner is familiar with German."

"Well, that's another clue for us," Mouri nodded. "What else do we have from KID's evidences?"

"That's all, I'm afraid," Sato said. "In conclusion, Kawaguchi obtained explosives from Wermut. Wermut also helped him with the bombing plans and it seems the one who planted the explosives was also Wermut—it is stated in this mails—look," Sato opened another file. "See? Kawaguchi asked Wermut if the building was ready to explode on the heist and Wermut said yes. Also this chat," Sato opened another file again, "it tells us that Wermut offered himself—or herself—to take care of the explosives and Kawaguchi only needed to wait until the building was ready to explode."

"Huh, really. That Wermut sounds like a professional," Kogoro commented. "It's a pity we couldn't really ensure whether or not that Wermut was in the museum before the bombing since all the potential evidences there were destroyed."

"Yes. Very clever, that Wermut," Saguru said. "He or she destroyed everything that might connect him or her to this case. If KID didn't share us these evidences, we surely wouldn't find him or her this quickly."

This time all eyes looked at the teen. Surprise, shock, disbelieve. Their faces clearly told Saguru their feelings.

"That's true..." Megure looked serious all of a sudden. "It seems Wermut had planned all these to happen. Professional, just like Mouri- _kun_ said, and very clever, just like Hakuba- _kun_ said."

"So... so Wermut killed Kawaguchi?" Sato asked. "Then it wasn't a suicide bombing?"

Saguru nodded. "Wermut provided him with explosives for the heist and he died by an explosion, an explosion that also destroyed every single piece of evidences except a bottle of cyanide which miraculously survive without any damage."

"Eh? Then does that mean... it means Wermut wants to frame Kawaguchi for Hakuba- _kun_ 's murder case?!"

"But the police didn't see anyone else other than Kawaguchi," Megure argued. "They were sure that Kawaguchi was the only one who went in and out of his own apartment."

"The woman in Officer Ogawa's case looked like Takahashi- _san_ , didn't she?" Saguru replied. When he saw Megure and Sato nodding their head, the blond continued, "but Takahashi- _san_ kept saying that she was innocent during interrogations. What if she really is innocent? Who was that woman then? Why did she look like Takahashi- _san_?" Saguru paused, looking at his audiences for a while, and then with more serious look, he said, "how did Wermut deceive us into making us assume that Takahashi- _san_ was that woman? How did Wermut kill Kawaguchi without the police noticing him or her presence?"

After a moment of silence, Conan chirped. "Maybe Wermut used disguise like KID?"

Saguru smiled and nodded to the boy. "Yes. I believe so."

"Aaahh, I see!" Sato looked amazed. "It all makes sense if Wermut is skilled in disguise. That person disguised as Takahashi- _san_ to frame her for Officer Ogawa's murder and then disguised as Kawaguchi to deceive the police, so maybe at that time Kawaguchi had already died or at least unconscious... Wermut might have been waiting for him after the interrogation, before the police began watching him."

"Then does it mean that Wermut's goal is to kill Hakuba- _niichan_?" Conan asked.

"Most likely, since Hakuba- _kun_ was also present in the bombing," Megure answered, "but we can't dismiss another possibility that Wermut's objective is also KID. After all, they both are professional criminals. Maybe this bombing is something similar to KID versus Nightmare, only more intense."

"So it is like this: Wermut's objective is to kill both Hakuba- _kun_ and KID or only to kill Hakuba- _kun_ ," Mouri concluded.

"It seems so," Megure agreed.

For a while, the room was filled with silence. Everyone were busy with their own thoughts, including Saguru. He finally found the real culprit. He finally found someone who might be the Moriarty. All of his assumptions turned out to be very convincing to be the truth after the phantom thief had shared them his own investigation. It was true Wermut provided Kawaguchi the explosives. It was true Wermut wanted to kill Saguru. It probably was true Wermut killed Kawaguchi. It probably was true that Wermut was skilled in disguise.

 _'KID knows this. Kuroba-_ kun _knows this, though he didn't notice Wermut might be skilled in disguise before I told him,'_ Saguru thought. _'And he knows something about the crow. Something about the crow is dangerous and he knows it, so Wermut is the crow? Or part of the crow?'_ Saguru frowned, rubbing his chin. What exactly was the crow? An individual? A group? What was its relationship with the phantom thief? They must have known each other since KID or Kuroba reacted to that word. To the word _crow_. Unfortunately the thief did not want to tell them about the crow yet. He was only willing to share his evidences with them by giving it to Detective Mouri.

 _'Now that I think about it again, why did he give the evidences to Detective Mouri?'_ Saguru wondered. _'He gave me his testimony in bombing case that night, so why did he choose to give the evidences to Detective Mouri, not me?'_ Was that a problem of trust? Surely KID could trust him with evidences since not only was he a capable detective, he also had a good connection with the police. In addition, KID had met him many times. He should have known him better than he had known Detective Mouri; they were classmates for goodness sake! And they often discussed the case—both bombing and murder—together, sharing their opinions, their perspectives. And despite their rivalry, Saguru could tell the world in confidence that they were friends. If Kuroba could not trust him enough with the evidence, Saguru was sure he would feel very disappointed, but such things were unlikely to happen since the magician had admitted that Saguru was a capable detective, that the blond was his friend.

 _'So maybe it isn't a problem of trust,'_ Saguru decided. If it was not because of trust, then it was because of something else. What was it?

The teen suddenly remembered KID's words on the bombing heist, his words for him.

 _"Why do you think I choose you, Tantei-san?"_

 _'Why did he choose me?'_ Saguru blinked. _'Because... because I could do more than anyone else could at that time. That's why he chose me even though there was also Detective Mouri in the heist.'_ The blond was stunned. KID chose him because at that time, he was suitable for his needs. If the thief decided to choose Detective Mouri this time, then it meant Detective Mouri was suitable for this time. Maybe Detective Mouri had something that Saguru did not. Maybe the Sleeping Detective was capable of doing something that Saguru could not. Maybe Mouri Kogoro knew something that Saguru did not know. Saguru wanted to know that. He wanted to know Mouri's capability, Mouri's suitability with today's event. He wanted to know why exactly KID chose the Sleeping Detective this time. His reasons could be a clue to solve this case and Saguru did not want to miss it.

"I've been wondering," the blond finally spoke up, breaking the silence, "why did KID give the evidences to Detective Mouri?"

TBC

* * *

 **Dear readers, I apologize for the delay. Recently there were too many people surrounding me, mostly families, and since they are my beloved families, I had to spend some bonding times with them, but unfortunately I'm not so much of a multitasker, so when I was with my family, I couldn't focus on my own work and that's why I ended up delaying this fic. I'm really sorry.**

 **Anyway, I have updated this fic today. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thank you so much for your support!**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 14**

 **Wermut**

"Why?" Mouri looked astounded for a moment. "I'm not sure. Maybe because I'm a detective who's involved in this case?"

"I'm a detective and I'm involved too," Saguru argued.

"Well, then maybe because I'm more familiar with murder and bombing? And I often work with Division 1, unlike you, Hakuba- _kun_."

"But it's not like I can't work together with Division 1. And for your information, I've solved countless murders back in England."

"Maybe because Detective Mouri is older than you and therefore he has more experience than you?" Sato suggested, looking amused.

"Really?" the blond lifted his eyebrows. "How many cases have you solved, Detective Mouri? I'm pretty sure you haven't reached my record yet."

"You brat..." Mouri was getting annoyed. "Maybe you're the son of the superintendent general, but that doesn't mean you can say whatever you want! Watch your mouth!"

" _Maa, maa_ , Mouri- _kun_ , don't be angry," Megure tried to reconcile the situation. "And you, Hakuba- _kun_ , this meeting isn't the right place to show your jealousy. Both of you, please calm down."

Saguru blinked in bewilderment for a moment. Jealousy? He certainly did not have that sort of feelings toward Mouri. And Detective Mouri clearly was very irritated since suddenly he brought Saguru's father out of nothing. Had he offended him? When the blond thought about his words again, he realized he really might have offended him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, Detective Mouri, and it's not about jealousy," the blond tried to straighten his point. "I mean, we're talking about KID's evidences here. He must have specific reasons for trusting Detective Mouri with the evidences."

"Specific reasons?" the inspector looked at the teen curiously now. "Why do you think so, Hakuba- _kun_?"

"Because KID is a man of reasons. A man of plans. His acts always have reasons, have always been planned beforehand. He is a rational man. I know it because I've confronted him many times," Saguru explained. "Let me give you an example. You all know that KID informed me the bombs and its locations, am I correct?"

"Well, yes," Sato answered. The others only nodded or looked at the teen intently.

"Why do you think he chose to inform me first even though that time we also had Detective Mouri and Inspector Nakamori?"

"Why?" Sato frowned in confusion. The others also have the same expression except Conan. The little boy smiled meaningfully before looking up to face the blond detective.

"Because you fit his needs that time, right, Hakuba- _niichan_?" Conan answered confidently.

"Correct." Saguru smiled back at him before he looked at the others. "I fit his needs. Why? Because compared to Detective Mouri, I'm more experienced in KID heist. Not only that, I also have control in it. When it is about KID heist, the police force won't hesitate to give me their assistance. I can ask for whatever assistance I need as long as it is for KID heist. If I ask them to lend me their helicopters, they will lend it to me. If I ask them to lend me their motorcycle experts, they will also lend them to me." Saguru paused, smiled meaningfully. "If I ask them a bomb squad, they will give it to me."

Silence, and then Sato blurted, "How come you have such an authority? You're not even a cop!"

"I worked hard to gain their trust and now they trust me to take care of KID. That's all," Saguru replied lightly. "Maybe some of you have been wondering why KID didn't tell Inspector Nakamori? It's because Inspector Nakamori had a task force to take care of and KID didn't need him to mobilize the task force out of the museum before the right time. Besides, KID knows very well that his task force tend to be—hmm—hasty in such a sudden turn of event."

"Ha-hasty?"

"Yes. Actually their hastiness is one of many reasons they still can't catch up with KID, but I'm not going to explain that here," the blond said. "So, back to the topic. That's why KID chose me in that bombing incident, not Detective Mouri, not Inspector Nakamori. I was the most suitable person to his needs. I could control the bomb squad while Inspector Nakamori took control of his task force and since I was the one who knew every information about the bombs, Inspector Nakamori and KID task force would have to listen to my opinion if they wanted to move. This way I was able to prevent them from acting unnecessarily hasty. This was what KID wanted."

"I see... so he's a man like that," Megure murmured thoughtfully.

"That's why, KID must have reasons for choosing Detective Mouri this time," the blond continued. "Detective Mouri certainly has suitability for today's meeting and I want to know what it is."

"Well, even if you said so, I'm not really sure why he chose me," Mouri admitted confusedly. "I really have no idea about this."

"Hmm, so you do not notice your strength in this," Saguru concluded. "Perhaps you know something more about these evidences, Detective Mouri? Why don't you try to look at the evidences closer, see if you could notice something?"

"Sato- _kun_ , let Mouri- _kun_ take a look at the evidences," Megure ordered Sato. The female officer immediately obeyed him, letting the Sleeping Detective take a look at the evidences as long as he needed. After a few minutes, Saguru asked him again, but Mouri only shook his head, did not notice anything at all.

"This is unfortunate. This reason could be a clue to our culprit here," Saguru said disappointedly. "You must know something, Detective Mouri. Please try to remember."

"I told you I didn't notice anything!"

"Maybe you only forget about it," the teen insisted. "What about Wermut? Have you ever heard that name before?"

"No."

"What about you, Edogawa- _kun_?"

"It was a word. I told you before, Hakuba- _niichan_."

Saguru sighed, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He was thinking. What should he do? This reason might be important for them. What should he do to make Detective Mouri remember? The blond was still thinking when suddenly his mind recalled Conan's words.

 _'It was a word... Wermut is a word.'_ Saguru opened his eyes abruptly. He just had an idea.

"Perhaps we should elaborate this," the teen suggested.

"Elaborate?" Sato frowned.

"Yes." Saguru nodded. "Wermut, as I said before, is a word in German. In English it means wormwood. Do you recognize it, Detective Mouri?"

"No."

"Then maybe in Japanese. Let's see... the closest translation I know would be _yomogi_ , although I'm not sure it is really the exact translation. How about that?"

"Hmm, no idea."

"Not Japanese then," Saguru concluded. "French? In French it means _vermouth_. It is also a type of alcoholic beverage. Does it ring the bell?"

"Wait a moment. What did you just say?" Mouri suddenly looked in alert.

"Vermouth," the blond repeated.

"That—that word—I've heard it before," the sleeping detective said in surprise. "I told Inspector Megure about it too. Vermouth the devil."

"The devil?" Megure frowned.

"Yes," Mouri nodded seriously. "You know, Inspector, it was the case when I went to a Halloween party with Sonoko."

"Oh, that one!" Megure's eyes widened in realization. "Yes, I remember now. Vermouth. Halloween murder."

 _'Vermouth,'_ Saguru kept that word in his head. So both Detective Mouri and Inspector Megure knew someone with that name. Vermouth, the devil. "Could you please tell me about that murder and this person called Vermouth?" he asked both of them.

"Sure," Megure said. "Actually I only heard it from Mouri- _kun_ and my subordinates. That case happened on a Halloween party last year. One of the invitees murdered the party organizer."

"Yeah. It was crazy, really," Mouri joined in. "The culprit told people in internet that he wanted to murder the victim and suddenly this Vermouth appeared with a murder plan. He became scared after that and had refused to kill the victim at first, but then he received photos of his family, tapes of intercepted phone calls, documents of their daily activities, as if saying that if he refused to kill, his family would die."

"I see." Saguru rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So Vermouth threatened him... but Kawaguchi did not receive any threat, did he?"

"As far as we know, he didn't," Sato confirmed.

"And you never found this Vermouth?"

"Never. Vermouth just disappeared. We couldn't track that person," Megure said.

Saguru turned to Mouri. "Detective Mouri, you were in the crime scene that time? With Suzuki Sonoko- _san_?"

"Yes. It was a Halloween party on a cruise ship. I was invited to attend it and allowed to bring someone, but since Ran's afraid of ghosts and monsters, Sonoko ended up accompanying me," Mouri answered.

"Oh, then I presume you're the one who solve the case?"

"No, Hakuba- _kun_. Actually it was Hattori- _kun_ who solved it," Megure said.

"Hattori- _kun_?" Saguru blinked. "Hattori Heiji?"

"Yes. So you already know him?"

Saguru nodded. "We've met on a case before," he explained shortly. "Why was Hattori- _kun_ there? Was he invited too?"

"No. He came for that Kudo brat. He knew that brat was invited," Mouri replied with an annoyed look. "He said he wanted to surprise him by coming to the party as him, but in the end that brat never came."

"Kudo? Kudo Shinichi?"

"Yes. Kudo Shinichi."

Saguru was getting more confused. What kind of case was this, with all of his counterparts being involved? "Hattori- _kun_ came as him? As Kudo- _kun_? Am I taking it right?"

"Yeah. Exactly like that. He came as that guy, disguising himself as him. He really surprised me. His disguise was so good that it might be on par with KID."

Saguru was speechless, did not know how to react to this new information. Hattori. Disguised as Kudo. His disguise might be on par with KID. He solved a murder case in a Halloween party. And the murderer committed his crime because someone called Vermouth threatened him. The police never found Vermouth. What a shocking news, especially the part about Hattori disguising himself as Kudo with a disguise technique that might be on par with KID, the master of disguise. Saguru had never heard that the Kansai detective was skilled in disguise. And Kudo, his other counterpart who had been missing for months, turned out to be involved in the same case. If the case happened on Halloween last year, it meant at that time Kudo had already been missing, so Hattori came to surprise a missing person? Saguru did not understand. Just what was Hattori thinking that time? What was his true intention by coming as Kudo? And why it had to be in a day when Vermouth was involved?

By the way, who was the person who invited Mouri and Kudo? Saguru asked Mouri and he was surprised when the Sleeping Detective answered him that he was invited by someone called Vermouth too.

"You were invited by Vermouth," Saguru repeated that fact in disbelieve. "Why?"

"I'm not sure, but I remember that person called me incompetent and told me something about the dying lamb. At first I thought Vermouth wanted to challenge me since there would be a game to find a criminal in the party, but it turned out that person was serious. Someone really died that night. It wasn't just a game," Mouri answered.

"Hmm..." Saguru tapped his chin, thinking. Vermouth planned a murder on a Halloween party and challenged Detective Mouri to solve it. Hattori came as Kudo to the same party, meaning Hattori also received an invitation _. 'But he came as Kudo-kun to surprise Kudo-kun. Does that mean he had his own invitation? Or maybe he used Kudo-kun's invitation?'_

There was something fishy about Hattori, Saguru was sure of it. That was why he took a mental note to look for the list of guests in that Halloween party from Division 1 case file. He had to make sure whether or not Hattori came to the party with his own name. He had to make sure Hattori's real intention by coming to the party as Kudo. Other than that, there was something else Saguru did not understand. Why did Vermouth call Mouri incompetent? The Sleeping Detective clearly was skilled in his field, having solved many cases across Japan. He was not incompetent, so why did Vermouth call him that? Saguru could not answer that question no matter how hard he had been thinking and he doubted the others in the room could answer him, so he decided to put that question aside. He would think about it at another time.

"Okay, to sum things up, Detective Mouri was invited by Vermouth, probably because Vermouth wanted to challenge Detective Mouri to solve his or her murder plan," the teen said after lost in his own thought for a moment. "And since Vermouth and Wermut might be the same person, Wermut probably knows you too, Detective Mouri. It is possible that person is your acquaintance."

"Maybe, but I have no idea who that person is," the Sleeping Detective grumbled. "To think this kind of person could be my acquaintance, it's really annoying."

"Of course it is," Saguru nodded in understanding. He did understand. After all, his classmate was an international thief, wanted by Interpol and police force across the world. "Looks like we finally know who our culprit is. Wermut or Vermouth. Smart. Probably skilled in disguise. Probably knows Detective Mouri. And it doesn't rule out a possibility that Kudo- _kun_ was invited by Vermouth too since Hattori- _kun_ attended the party as him just in time when Vermouth was doing his crime and challenging Detective Mouri... maybe Kudo- _kun_ was challenged as well?—wait." Saguru paused, thinking. A moment later, he continued, "If Vermouth invited Kudo- _kun_ even though Kudo- _kun_ 's been missing without any news... Kudo- _kun_ 's disappearance could have something to do with Vermouth. And Hattori- _kun_ disguised himself as Kudo- _kun_. Could this be a hint that Hattori- _kun_ is aware of Vermouth? Or at least he knows something about Kudo- _kun_ 's disappearance?"

Everyone looked at Saguru in surprise and disbelieve. They clearly never thought that Kudo's disappearance could be related to Vermouth.

"That... that seems possible," Sato said, looking at her inspector hesitantly. When she saw Megure giving her a sharp stare, The female officer took a deep breath.

"This could be a very serious case," she said.

"Indeed," Saguru replied, glancing at Megure and Sato curiously. Megure's sharp stare and Sato's hesitance were things that he did not expect in the meeting. It was a silent communication between them. They knew something, but they kept it to themselves. When Saguru thought more about them, the blond realized they had not been really active in the meeting ever since Kudo Shinichi had been brought into the discussion. As if they were being careful with any talk about the Heisei Holmes.

Sato and Megure were hiding something about Kudo. Saguru was sure of that, but he did not intend to pry on their secret. If the police decided to hide something about Kudo, it meant they were aware Kudo was involved in something important. Important enough that it should be kept in secret, maybe for the sake of Kudo's safety. Saguru wanted to appreciate that secret. He did not want to make things more difficult for Kudo and the police. That was why instead of prying, he decided to make a deduction.

If it was true Kudo was involved in something so important and classified, it meant it was possible Kudo had been dealing with a very difficult case. That difficult case could have a connection to Vermouth. For now, that knowledge was enough for Saguru. He would investigate Kudo by himself later for more information.

"Well, for now we can assume this case is a serious matter with the involvement of Kudo Shinichi and Hattori Heiji, oh, and also Kaitou KID," Saguru finally said. "KID gave the evidences to Detective Mouri because he knew Detective Mouri once had a case with Vermouth's involvement. KID knows all of this. I wonder how much does he know?"

The room was filled with silence once again. Everyone were busy with their own thoughts. Saguru himself did not say anything for a while, processing every information he had gathered, storing it inside his brain. The blond glanced at Conan. That boy was surprisingly quiet today, did not ask many questions as he usually would. Saguru wondered if Conan had been aware of these information all this time. After all, the child did give them a clue by telling them that wermut was a word. If that was truly the case, how come a little boy like Conan knew such things? Unless Conan also read Detective Mouri's invitation last year and remembered the name of the sender, the bespectacled boy should not know anything about Vermouth. Not to mention Saguru remembered how agitated Conan was when they discussed the case together after Takahashi's suicide. Something had been bothering him that time, something more than just a restless feelings. Just like Megure and Sato, Conan was hiding something as well. Saguru wanted to make sure, wanted to ask Conan, but he held himself when suddenly Megure broke the silence with his serious words.

"I think we have reached a conclusion for our meeting today," he said. "It is clear now that the culprit behind Officer Ogawa's murder is Wermut and perhaps Wermut and Vermouth are one and the same. Wermut probably knows Mouri- _kun_ and clearly knows Hakuba- _kun_ since the objective of the murder was to kill Hakuba- _kun_ , not Officer Ogawa. Wermut assisted Kawaguchi in the bombing by providing him explosives and bombing plan. One more thing, Wermut might be skilled in disguise, just like Kaitou KID." The inspector turned his head toward Saguru. "Hakuba- _kun_ , our opponent is powerful and clearly wants to kill you. You have to be careful."

"I will, Inspector."

After that, Megure ended the meeting. Saguru dismissed his initial intention to question Conan about Vermouth when he realized he would need to speak alone with the boy. He could not ask him now, not when Conan was surrounded by police officers because if the boy had been hiding those information all this time, he clearly would not give Saguru the real answer when he was still surrounded by people. In the end the teen decided to read the case file about the Halloween murder before leaving TMPD bulding. He might as well ask some officers in Division 1 about Conan since they seemed to know the boy well due to Mouri Kogoro's frequent involvement in murders. There was a high chance Conan had been hiding something important from everyone else and that was why Saguru needed to know more about him.

After finishing his business, the teen walked straight to the parking lot. _Baaya_ was there, waiting for him in their car. As usual, they went home without much talk along the way. The teen was busy planning his activity in his mind. After seeing KID's evidences and reading the Halloween case, there were many things he needed to do to answer his questions. It turned out that Hattori and Kudo were truly suspicious because Hattori's name was not present in the list of guests while Kudo's name was there. He needed to call Hattori to ask him about that case, about Vermouth, Kudo, and his amazing disguise. He needed to investigate Kudo's disappearance. He also needed to pay more attention to Edogawa because after asking several officers in Division 1, he finally knew that actually the boy was a distant relative of the Kudos which meant he also knew Kudo Shinichi. Perhaps it would be better if he visited Sonoko as well; after all she was also present in the Halloween murder. And he certainly had to discuss all of this with Kuroba later after his investigation. He had so many things to do! But Saguru did not dislike it. In fact, he felt very excited, full of enthusiasm. He just encountered a very interesting case. Dangerous, but interesting nonetheless. And at least this time he finally knew his opponent. He had a clue about Moriarty. He did not have to start again from zero.

Wermut. Vermouth. Finally he had a name for his culprit.

TBC

* * *

 **So, finally I have time for myself. I can peacefully shut myself in my room, no one's going to bother me, everything is perfect, and that's why I decided to write this chapter. This chapter is very difficult to write! I spent hours working on this, so hopefully it is good enough for you. Please leave a review and let me know what you think, and thank you for your support! See you next chapter!**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and my OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 15**

 **Establishing Connection**

As soon as he arrived at home, Saguru immediately investigated a certain Heisei Holmes. He locked himself in his study, studying the Halloween case and looking for any news about Kudo Shinichi. He noticed that recently there was an uproar about Kudo after a blogger had seen him in Kyoto supported with his appearance with Hattori in a live TV news, but then the news reported that the person on the TV was not Kudo, but someone else called Okita, and the blogger also admitted that she mistook someone else as Kudo, that the Kudo she had seen was only her hallucination. Saguru did not really believe that news after he had deduced some things about Hattori and Kudo. It sounded like Kudo needed to stay hidden at all costs—Megure and Sato's behaviour had proven him that fact—and it seemed Hattori really did his best to support the detective of the east by telling a lie to the reporters. It looked like the two detectives were best buddies, meaning Saguru would not gain anything useful by asking Hattori about Kudo. The Osakan obviously would protect Kudo from him.

If Saguru wanted Hattori to spill out everything, he would need different tactic. He could not confront him only with little information. He needed a better strategy. He needed more information, a very important information that would make his Osakan counterpart unable to dodge him anymore, information that would make Hattori tell him the truth. For that, Saguru needed to make another investigation. He asked his father about the Kudos and the Mouris, particularly their involvement in crime cases. His father told him that Kudo Yusaku often helped Division 1 in solving cases and that Kudo Shinichi had been helping them ever since he entered high school. He also told him that before starting his career as a private detective, Mouri Kogoro used to join the police force. The Kudos and the Mouris had known each other for a long time, chasing criminals together for years before Mouri stopped his career as a police officer, before Yusaku and Yukiko decided to move out to United States.

From his father's story, Saguru managed to know that the Mouris and the Kudos had been in good relationship which meant the Mouris also knew many things about Kudo Shinichi. The blond had thought to ask them about Kudo, but after remembered that they lived with Edogawa, Saguru dismissed that thought. Edogawa was close to Hattori, close enough that the Mouris let him take the little boy to an uninhabited island. Not to mention Edogawa was Kudo's relative which meant he might know a few secret things about Kudo and had been told not to let anyone hear those secret things. Besides, there was a high chance the Mouris also had received a warning to keep Kudo hidden. After all, they were trusted to take care of Edogawa, Kudo's relative, and they clearly had a good relationship with the Kudos.

Since the Mouris and Edogawa did not seem to be able to help him, Saguru was left with only a choice: the Suzukis, especially Suzuki Sonoko. As far as he knew, Sonoko and Kudo attended the same high school and coincidentally, that girl also witnessed the murder at the Halloween party with Detective Mouri. She should have seen Hattori in Kudo disguise. Saguru hoped the heiress of Suzuki Corporation could provide him enough information to confront Hattori and for that reason, that night after reading many articles about Kudo and after asking his father about the Mouris and the Kudos, he called Suzuki residence and made an appointment to meet Sonoko at lunch on the next day.

Unfortunately, fate did not seem to be on his side on the next day.

His grandfather called his home in the morning, making a commotion in Hakuba household by telling them that something terrible had happened to their company. Apparently someone managed to break the security system in Hakuba Laboratory. His grandfather complained something about important data being stolen and destroyed. It seemed that finally after all this time since the murder of Officer Ogawa and the bombing at KID heist, the cybercriminals decided to attack Hakuba Corporation. His grandfather insisted to have Saguru and his father investigate the case, making the blond had to cancel his appointment with Sonoko at lunch. The detective took a look briefly at the case, but in the end he decided to leave it to his father since his mind was still fixated on his Moriarty. There were countless cases of data breaches done by hackers and usually the police force were always able to solve it by themselves, meaning his help would not be needed, but even after he made that decision, Saguru still could not leave the company. His grandfather was there, asking to have a lunch and a bit of chit-chat with him, so Saguru was trapped in a luxurious restaurant talking about many things that had nothing to do with his Moriarty for more than an hour. It was maddening.

Saguru visited Suzuki residence in the afternoon, but soon he found himself being trapped in unproductive conversation with Sonoko's parents. Sonoko's parents asked him so many things about Hakuba Corporation and his own role in his family business before he managed to ask Sonoko about Kudo and the Halloween murder. They even asked him to marry Sonoko after he told them that he did not have any intention to inherit his family's business! After that Sonoko and her mother had a fight about marriage; Sonoko told her mother numerous times that she did not want to marry Saguru because she already had a boyfriend and after her boyfriend, she would only give her love to Kaitou KID, though she did admit if Saguru was not a detective, she might reconsider the marriage since the blond was a gentleman and very handsome (Saguru was not impressed because he certainly would not marry a Suzuki unless there were not any women left on the Earth. He definitely would not marry a Suzuki and become a slave of Suzuki Jirokichi's obsession toward KID). On the other hand, Sonoko's mother kept telling her that she could not accept a thief into her household and she definitely saw Saguru better than Sonoko's boyfriend. The fight only ended after Saguru told them that he did not want to marry Sonoko, not because she was unattractive, but because Saguru wanted to be a detective. He told them that detective's job was dangerous and he did not want to add that danger into Sonoko's life. He also told them that he might choose United Kingdom citizenship in the future since he felt more needed there. After that, the conversation returned to normal and after another chit-chat about family, finally Saguru managed to ask them about Kudo.

It was a bit hard to get information from Sonoko. The girl was a loyal friend to Kudo. She refused to talk about him until Saguru told her that his life was targeted by the criminals that were involved in Kudo's case. He told her that he needed to know to save not only himself, but also people that he loved. After hearing his explanation, finally Sonoko was willing to talk. She told him that she was a childhood friend of Kudo and Ran. She told him that Ran and Kudo had been in relationship recently. the heiress of Suzuki Corporation also said that Hattori and Kudo were good friends and from Ran's stories that she had heard, they seemed to contact each other often, but she did not know anything about Hattori's disguise technique. She did see his amazing disguise, but she did not know how he managed to do that perfect disguise. Sonoko then told him that Kudo had been working on a difficult case, thus explaining his mysterious disappearance. She also asked him to keep this information in secret. Sonoko's explanation only confirmed Saguru's suspicion toward the detective of the east. Kudo Shinichi was indeed involved in a dangerous case which probably was related to Vermouth.

But those information were still not enough. Not enough to confront Hattori. He needed more, but Saguru did not know how to obtain more information. He almost gave up and decided to ask Edogawa and the Mouris for the truth, but then fate finally decided to be on his side. Three days after the meeting in TMPD Headquarters, a certain magician brought him the jackpot.

"Here. Your request." Kaito put an envelope on Saguru's desk before the class started. The blond blinked, looking at the envelope and then turning his head to the magician.

"My request?"

"List of people who are skilled in disguise," Kaito said. "Most of them are magicians."

"Oh." Saguru took the envelope and opened it. There were a few papers full of names and descriptions on it. The detective scanned it before he looked at his classmate again. "Your father only had two apprentices?"

"My mom said so," Kaito shrugged, taking a seat on Saguru's desk.

"I see. Thanks, Kuroba- _kun_ ," the blond replied. "But I'm surprised it took you a long time to give me these names. It's been a week."

"Yeah, well," the magician looked hesitant all of a sudden. "I did some research to gather those names, so of course I needed more time. Besides..." he stopped, making Saguru curious and a bit worried at the same time.

"Besides?"

Kaito took a deep breath, looking away from his classmate. "I... I wasn't sure," he said softly. "I was scared, Hakuba. I still am. I'm scared that if I assist you, I will only put you in more danger. That's why I held myself. I wasn't sure if my help would be a good thing for you." The magician paused, and then he smiled awkwardly. "I know. It's not really like me to be worried over you like this."

Saguru was stunned. So Kuroba had been worried about him? That was why it took him a long time to fulfill his request? Wait. Was he really concerned or was this only his act?

"But you give me this in the end," Saguru finally said as he waved the papers in his hand, dismissing his suspicion about the magician's concern to keep the conversation civil. "Why?"

"Because you need it," Kaito answered. "And you were right. You've been in danger ever since Officer Ogawa was murdered. I prefer to have you fully prepared in a fight rather than the opposite."

The blond smiled. "So you mean these names will prepare me to fight?"

"I hope so," the magician replied as he jumped down the desk. "Use it wisely, and good luck on studying them." He smiled before walking away from Saguru, returning to his own seat. The blond only sighed fondly as he watched the magician walking toward his own desk, teasing Aoko along the way. After that he turned his attention back to the papers in his hand. Saguru read it again more thoroughly, trying to find any clue in it. When he arrived at Kuroba Toichi's apprentices, his eyes suddenly were wide open. Something was... suspicious.

Kuroba Toichi had two apprentices, Sharon Vineyard and Fujimine Yukiko. Both of them were actresses. According to their descriptions, Sharon Vineyard had been died for more than a year and Fujimine Yukiko had been married to a famous novelist, Kudo Yusaku, and since then she had been known as Kudo Yukiko.

Kudo Yukiko and Kudo Yusaku. Saguru knew that they were Kudo Shinichi's parents.

 _'Does it mean Kudo Yukiko is skilled in disguise?'_ Saguru thought, then suddenly something clicked in his head. _'Hattori-kun disguised himself as Kudo-kun in a party where Detective Mouri was also invited by Vermouth. Suzuki-san said they often contacted each other, which means they are good friends... and if they are good friends, of course Kudo-kun's parents will know Hattori-kun. His disguise—it probably was done by Kudo-kun's mother.'_ Saguru rubbed his chin in deep thought. _'Hattori-kun's name was not in the list, but Kudo-kun's name was there, so Hattori-kun must have attended the party using Kudo-kun's invitation. Why did Hattori-kun come to the party on his behalf? Obviously because Kudo-kun could not come for some reasons. He definitely was involved in something important since Inspector Megure and Detective Sato had been very careful when we discussed him last time. But why should Hattori-kun come as him? Why should Kudo Shinichi be there?'_

Saguru closed his eyes, trying to concentrate as he built his deductions little by little. He was so close, so close to the truth. He knew it. He could almost see it. He only needed to think a bit more.

 _'So Hattori-kun came to the Halloween party disguised as Kudo-kun and used Kudo-kun's invitation. Kudo-kun's mother did his disguise,'_ he thought. If Yukiko did the disguise, it was possible Yukiko asked Hattori to attend the party as her son. Or maybe it was Kudo himself who asked Hattori to attend the party as him. If the Kudos went to the trouble of asking Hattori to attend the party as Kudo Shinichi, that party must be very important to them. Why? Because...

"Vermouth." Saguru finished his thoughts, opening his eyes in realization. _'Because Kudo-kun was invited by Vermouth.'_ If Kudo was invited by Vermouth but asked Hattori to attend the party as him, then that meant Kudo knew Vermouth. He and his parents knew how dangerous Vermouth was, but unfortunately at that time Kudo could not come. He had been missing, disappeared mysteriously. There was no official news telling Saguru that Kudo Shinichi was dead and Sonoko clearly said that Kudo had been in relationship with Ran recently, so he definitely was still alive, hiding somewhere. Why was he hiding? Because he was involved in a dangerous case. A dangerous case with Vermouth's involvement in it.

"Kudo- _kun_ knows Vermouth and he's been hiding from him—or her. That's why he couldn't come to the party. Something terrible probably would happen if Vermouth saw him—if that person saw him alive," Saguru mumbled. That was why Hattori came as him, but in the end he opened his disguise in public, revealing that actually Kudo never came to the party. And Kudo Shinichi needed to be there because Vermouth challenged him to solve a murder. Kudo knew Vermouth. He was aware of Vermouth's strength, that was why he took Vermouth's threat seriously.

"Hm?" Saguru blinked when suddenly he remembered something. Vermouth's strength. Wermut's strength. Wermut, the brilliant strategist, an expert in deception, the manipulator. The blond blinked again. _'Wait a moment. Was that all?'_

Something was wrong with his previous deduction, Saguru knew it. He thought about it deeply, trying to fix his deduction. He remembered that Wermut and Vermouth could be the same person and if Wermut truly was Vermouth, it seemed too simple if that person invited Kudo only to see him attend the party because after that, the only thing that would have happened aside from the death of the party organizer was the death of Kudo. After all, Kudo had been hiding, which meant he might be killed if Vermouth found him, so if Vermouth's intention was only to kill Kudo in that Halloween party, it was too simple for a brilliant criminal like him or her. Besides, Kudo was not stupid. He would be able to read such a simple deception easily. He would not ask Hattori to attend the party if Vermouth wanted to kill him. He would not put Hattori's life in danger. Vermouth must have had another intention behind Kudo's invitation. It was possible Kudo's invitation was only a deception. If Kudo's invitation was a deception, it meant it was possible Detective Mouri's invitation was also a deception, but why did Vermouth need to deceive Detective Mouri too? Did that mean Mouri's attendance in the party was crucial to Vermouth's plan even though Vermouth called him incompetent?

Saguru noticed that he missed something. He did not know why Vermouth needed to divert Mouri's attention to the party if that invitation really was only a deception. He did not know why Vermouth needed to have Kudo in that party if that person did not intend to kill him. But at least this time he noticed that the Halloween party last year was not just an ordinary party. It was meant for something bigger than just a murder on a cruise ship.

"Well, well," the blond murmured, rubbing his chin. ' _Looks like Vermouth wanted to lure out Kudo-kun and Detective Mouri for some hidden reasons, but Kudo-kun managed to read his plan—or her plan. Hattori-kun was a part of his plan to counter Vermouth's plan. It all make sense now.'_ Saguru smirked, satisfied with his deductions even though he was still curious about Vermouth's hidden intention at the Halloween party. He could think about that later. For now, he needed to confirm his deductions first. He had to call Hattori.

The blond quickly took his phone from his trousers' pocket, searching for Hattori's number in his contact list as he walked out the classroom to a better place to have a talk with the Osakan sleuth. Saguru stopped at the rooftop. He closed the door before looking back at Hattori's contact on his phone, a contact he had gotten from him after their encounter in Detective Koshien case. If he was lucky, the detective of the west had not changed his phone number. If he was lucky, Hattori would not ignore his call.

Saguru took a deep breath as he looked at his phone. He could ask Hattori this time. Kuroba had given him the weapon to confront him. This time, Saguru would know the truth. He would make Hattori spill out the truth. The blond took a deep breath once again before he clicked on Hattori's contact. He put his phone on his ear, waiting. A few seconds later, Saguru smiled as he heard a Kansai dialect on the other end. It seemed he was lucky.

"Hey," the blond greeted casually. "It's been a while, Hattori- _kun_. How are you?"

~o0o~

 _Hakuba called me just now, asking you, your mom, and Vermouth. Sorry, I kinda told him everything, but your identity's still safe._

When Edogawa Conan read that text on his cellphone, his eyes immediately widened in shock. He hurriedly told his teacher that he needed to go to the restroom and as soon as he arrived at the restroom, he called Hattori. He asked him what exactly the half-Brit sleuth had asked him about. He asked him what exactly he had told Hakuba. Actually the shrunken sleuth had warned his Kansai counterpart right after the meeting in TMPD building. He warned him about Hakuba. He had guessed Hakuba might call Hattori to ask about the Halloween case, Vermouth, and Kudo Shinichi. He asked Hattori to answer the half-Brit sleuth carefully without telling any lies but also without giving him too much information. Since he had guessed Hakuba might call the Kansai detective, Conan should not be surprised at all when he received such a text from Hattori, but the truth was he got really surprised. He was surprised because Hakuba asked about his mother too, about Kudo Yukiko. Conan remembered clearly they did not speak about the former actress in their last meeting. In fact, Yukiko hid her identity in that party, so apart from Hattori, no one should know her involvement in that case. Even the police did not know, so how come Hakuba suddenly asked Hattori about Yukiko? Why did he ask about her?

Hattori explained that Hakuba knew about the disguise thing. He knew that Yukiko was skilled in disguise, that the former actress had helped him to disguise as Kudo Shinichi at the Halloween party. He knew that the detective of the east was still alive. He knew that Hattori really met Kudo in Kyoto. He knew that Hattori was close to Kudos. He had deduced precisely that Kudo was invited by Vermouth to the Halloween party. He deduced that one of the reasons Kudo needed to be there was because Vermouth also included a murder threat in the invitation. He knew that Kudo Shinichi had been hiding from Vermouth and that was why Hattori attended the Halloween party as him. He knew Kudo was involved in a difficult and dangerous case with the involvement of Vermouth. He deduced that Vermouth had another intention that time, that Kudo's and Mouri's invitation to the party were only a part of Vermouth's bigger plan. After all that deduction talk, the blond asked who exactly Vermouth was and what exactly that person wanted by inviting Kudo and Mouri to the party.

Generally, Hakuba deduced everything right. His intel was good, Hattori said, and his deduction skill could not be underestimated. The detective of the west was cornered, so he did not have a choice but to answer Hakuba truthfully. Hattori admitted that he was close to Kudo and his parents, that Kudo was invited by Vermouth to attend the party and that Kudo was hiding from Vermouth. He admitted that the invitation from Vermouth included some sort of threat, a murder threat. And it really happened. Hattori had to come because obviously Kudo could not when his life was still in danger and he had to come as Kudo since the invitation was for Kudo. He told him that Vermouth was a member of a mysterious criminal syndicate who was skilled in disguise and that Kudo had been working to defeat that syndicate secretly. He admitted that that time Vermouth had another intention by inviting Kudo to the party, but that information was not his to share. It was Kudo's secret and therefore he could not tell Hakuba more about it. After that, Hattori told Conan that Hakuba might deserve more information about Black Organization. After all, they wanted to kill him too. In addition, with such a good intel and a good connection with the police force, Hakuba might be able to help them defeat the organization.

 _"Don't worry, I didn't give him your number, nor did I tell him about that drug and your identity. I didn't even tell him Vermouth's identity. It's your case and you know best what to do with it, so I'll leave her identity to your decision,"_ Hattori added.

"Thanks, Hattori," Conan replied. "But seriously, why didn't you tell him my number? If Hakuba already knows that much, it's only normal for him to ask you my number."

 _"Well, he didn't ask me,"_ the Osakan detective said. _"I mean, he did say that it would be good if he could contact you, but he decided to hold himself. He said he didn't want to trouble you since you're still in hiding."_

"He really said that?"

 _"Yeah. In exchange, he said he would be in touch with me,"_ Hattori chuckled. _"I'm going to be a mediator between you and him. Can you imagine that? This is truly a nightmare."_

"Sorry, Hattori. Looks like I'm giving you trouble."

 _"Nah, no problem. It's not troubling me at all. It's just—well—I'm not really good with him. You already know that, right?"_

Conan smiled unconsciously. "Yeah. You two were always arguing."

 _"Right. It's personal, so it has nothing to do with you,"_ Hattori said. _"Don't worry, you can leave him to me."_

"Yeah. I'm counting on you," Conan replied. "Thanks again, Hattori. Bye."

 _"Take care, Kudo."_

Conan hung up the call. He stayed in the restroom a bit longer, thinking what he should do from now on after Hakuba had figured out Yukiko's disguise skill and deduced the right thing about Vermouth's intention in the Halloween party. Hattori was right when he said that the blond detective deserved more information about Black Organization since they probably wanted to kill him. Conan had thought about this before, that was why he did not try to stop the blond from deducing Wermut's identity in their last meeting. That was why he even gave him a hint that Wermut was a word. He wanted Hakuba to translate it until he found Vermouth. He wanted the police to once again remember that name even if it meant Kudo Shinichi would be brought up in the discussion. He was willing to take a little risk if it meant he would gain Hakuba's connection to TMPD and Scotland Yard. After all, such connection might be able to help him defeat the organization and he had thought at first that Hakuba would not be able to figure out his identity easily since the idea of an adult being shrunk back into a little child was not sound real and possible. Not to mention Hakuba had not suspected him as the brain behind the Sleeping Kogoro. At least not yet. And Conan trusted Megure and his subordinates. He trusted that they would not leak any information about Kudo Shinichi's existence to just anyone, but now after the shrunken sleuth had found out how capable Hakuba was—he managed to figure out Yukiko's disguise skill which was not known publicly in such a short time and deduce that Vermouth was up to something else by inviting Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Kogoro to the party—Conan started to feel anxious. Hakuba was so close to the truth, so close to his and Haibara's identity. He just realized he had underestimated the British sleuth.

Hakuba was not just capable. He was powerful and dangerous like a double-edged sword. On the one hand he was reliable due to his great skill as a detective and his diverse connection: police force in two countries added with his connection through his family business, but on the other hand, that skill and connection could be a threat to his enemy, a threat to every hidden secrets. Conan could not let his guard down or else his identity would be revealed. Haibara's identity would be revealed. He did not want that to happen and that was why he had to think twice about Hakuba.

 _'But if Wermut is Vermouth, I will have no choice but to cooperate with him,'_ Conan thought. If Wermut truly was Vermouth, he would not be able to prevent Hakuba from getting involved in the fight against Black Organization. He would have to work together with him. If that happened, he would not be able to do anything but be cautious around Hakuba to protect his identity.

Conan shook his head, trying to calm his anxious mind. It would not be a problem, he told himself. He was capable in taking care of himself. Not only that, he had Agasa, Haibara, his parents, and Hattori. Even if he ended up having to work with Hakuba, he would be fine because he had allies he could trust. Besides, Hakuba was not a bad guy. He would be fine even if that blond sleuth finally managed to figure out his identity.

 _'Right. There's nothing to worry about. For now, what I need to do is telling my parents about him. They should know how good Hakuba is.'_ Conan nodded to himself, trying to regain his confidence. After that, he walked out of the restroom, heading back toward his class. He might as well told Haibara as soon as he arrived there. She too would need to be cautious around Hakuba.

TBC

* * *

 **Lately it's getting harder and harder to have my own spare time. I have works to do and people are everywhere around me. I'm not sure when they will give me some time for myself, so I have to tell you that I can't promise to update this fic very soon. In fact, I'm not even sure I can update weekly. I'm really sorry for this.**

 **As usual, I'm hoping you will let me know what you think about this fic, so please review. Thank you so much for your support! See you!**


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer:Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and My OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 16**

 **The Real Objective**

That morning, Kaito was sitting calmly in his class, reading news on his smartphone. He decided not to prank Aoko since the girl looked tired lately. She had been busy looking after her father who still had a broken arm and a broken leg. Inspector Nakamori was getting better and had been discharged from the hospital, but he still needed assistance in many things, making his daughter super busy. Ever since the bombing, Kaito had been softer toward Nakamoris. He did not prank Aoko, he did not mock Inspector Nakamori, and he did not plan any heist. Kaitou KID had been on hiatus since the bombing and Kaito did not plan to end the hiatus soon, not when his inspector was still sick. Not when his task force were still grieving and mourning over their loss. Not when his detectives were still busy trying to catch the criminal behind the bombing. Instead of challenging them with his heist, the thief found himself choosing to help them. He gave them evidences of Kawaguchi's crime, he let them know about the mysterious culprit called Wermut, and he assisted Saguru when the blond needed his help. Kaito had thought that the case would be solved soon with his help. He thought everything would return to normal soon, but after reading today's news, the magician did not have a choice but to forget his hope. It seemed the police would need a very long time and extra patience to solve it because Japan seemed to be attacked with complicated crimes lately.

"Geez... first a murder, then a bombing, and now we have assassination too? What's wrong with this country?" Kaito muttered under his breath after reading the news. Saguru who was standing near him and talking with Aoko about her father's well-being accidentally heard him.

"Assassination?" the blond repeated, looking at Kaito with curiosity.

"Yeah. Here. Assassination of scientists. Sniper. How scary." The magician gave his phone to the sleuth, letting him read the news by himself.

"Ah, Aoko knows that. It was on the TV this morning," Aoko said. "There are two scientists killed by sniper. One was killed around last night, the other was killed in the early morning. Both of them were found this morning too. Seriously, so many murders these days!"

Saguru did not say anything, only looking seriously at the news on Kaito's smartphone. When he finally finished reading, Kaito saw the sleuth looked tenser than before.

"Shit," Saguru cursed in English, putting down the smartphone on Kaito's desk hastily. "Oh shit!"

The blond ran toward his own desk hurriedly, taking his bag before running out of the classroom. Kaito and Aoko watched him in surprise. What just happened? Saguru was cursing? The blond was famous with his politeness and gentleness; they had never heard him cursing before. And what was he doing? Why did he leave the class? Kaito stood up and hurriedly ran to follow Saguru. What was going on?

"Hakuba! Wait!" the magician shouted as he chased his friend from behind. "Hakuba, Where are you going?"

"My father's office!" the blond shouted back without stopping his feet.

"What?" Kaito blinked confusedly. "But the class—"

"Class isn't important right now!" Saguru cut impatiently, then Kaito saw him taking out his phone from his pocket hurriedly, calling someone as he ran. " _Baaya_ , please pick me up at school, and please hurry... Never mind about school, I have something urgent to take care of..."

Kaito stopped his pace little by little until he only stood still in the corridor, watching Saguru disappear from his sight. The magician was dumbfounded, could not believe what just happened.

Saguru ditched school?

Saguru never ditched school.

"But he's ditching school now," Kaito mumbled in disbelieve. The polite, gentle, and diligent blond was cursing and ditching school! There must be something wrong with him! Something definitely was wrong!

 _'Why? Why is he ditching school?'_ Kaito wondered as he headed back to his class. The detective ditched school right after he read the assassination news. Did that news have anything to do with his case? Was it related to Wermut?

 _'Maybe they are really related if Wermut is one of_ Tantei-kun _'s bad guy,'_ the magician thought. He suspected Wermut was Conan's enemy after realizing that in French Wermut meant Vermouth and Vermouth was a type of liquor, like Bourbon, a man he had encountered in Bell Tree Express, a man who was an enemy of _Tantei-kun_. He gave the evidences about Wermut to Detective Mouri since he thought it might be related to _Tantei-kun_. He hoped that _Tantei-kun_ had more information about Wermut or Vermouth.

 _Tantei-kun_ 's enemy was able to prepare a car full of explosives, so it would not be surprising to have them having some snipers to assassinate people.

 _'But if the sniper is truly one of them, it means those scientists are a threat to them. Why would they be a threat?'_ Kaito wondered again. Then he realized that the sniper did not have to be related to KID Killer's enemy. There was a possibility the sniper was not related to them at all. If Saguru really ditched school because he thought they were related, what was it that made the blond certain? How could he be so sure about it?

"Oh, whatever." Kaito sighed. There was no point in thinking about it now since his information was limited to deduce anything. Saguru clearly knew something he did not. After all, the sleuth had been discussing the case diligently with the experts such as Mouri—or _Tantei-kun_ actually—and the police force. Kaito decided to wait until Hakuba deliberately told him. Or perhaps he would ask him tomorrow at school. That's right. He would just wait until tomorrow.

~o0o~

Saguru did not come to school on the next day, nor did he come the day after that. Konno- _sensei_ told the class that the half-Brit was sick. Apparently Saguru got a severe cold, making him unable to come to school for a few days. Kaito was worried and confused after hearing that news. Saguru looked fine two days ago, so how come he suddenly got a severe cold after that? Did something happen on the day when the detective ditched school? Kaito was so curious about it that he decided to volunteer himself when Konno- _sensei_ asked someone to deliver a paperwork for the blond. He did not care when his classmates looked at him in shock—because seriously, why did Kuroba Kaito decide to volunteer himself for Hakuba Saguru? They were quite famous as rivals in class, always arguing, always bickering, so why was the magician suddenly willing to visit the sleuth? But Kaito could not care less about them. What was on his mind right now was Hakuba. His suspicious absence after ditching school was making Kaito worried and curious at the same time. That was why the magician decided to visit his rival with an excuse of delivering paperwork from Konno- _sensei_.

Despite all the confused and suspicious faces that he received from his classmates, Konno- _sensei_ did not seem to mind Kaito's voluntariness. In fact, she was happy with his kind offer and did not think twice when she trusted him with Saguru's paperwork. That was why right after the school had finished, Kaito went straight to the blond's home. He had obtained his address from Konno- _sensei_ since he was supposed to have never visited Saguru's home before. One of his classmates who had been there before even kindly drew him a simple map so that he would not lose his way, but the magician did not use it at all during his trip to Hakuba residence. Kaito had memorized every possible way to Saguru's house. He no longer needed map.

When he had arrived at Hakuba residence, _Baaya_ opened the door for Kaito. The housekeeper still remembered him as the one who often visited Saguru in hospital after the bombing. Kaito told her that he came to deliver Saguru's paperwork as well as to check up on him if possible.

"Come in, Kuroba- _kun_. _Bocchama_ is resting in his room, but I'm sure he'll be pleased to see you," _Baaya_ welcomed Kaito. The magician soon found himself in Saguru's house, not as a thief, not as an intruder, but as a guest. _Baaya_ asked him to have a seat in the living room while she informed his visit to her young master. Not long after that, the housekeeper told him that Saguru asked him to go to his room. Kaito immediately stood up from the sofa, leaving the living room to the sleuth's bedroom upstairs with _Baaya_ guiding him. When they had arrived in front of Saguru's room, _Baaya_ knocked the door and informed Saguru that she brought Kaito with her. A hoarse voice was heard from inside, telling them to enter. _Baaya_ opened the door, inviting Kaito to enter first before she followed after him.

"Kuroba- _kun_ , thank you for visiting," Saguru said weakly. He sat on his bed, wrapping himself with a thick blanket. " _Baaya_ , could you please bring some refreshment here?"

"Certainly, _Bocchama_." _Baaya_ nodded before she walked out of the room, leaving the two teenagers alone. As soon as the housekeeper had left, Kaito took his seat on a chair in the room, placing his bag beside him before looking at his classmate worriedly. Saguru looked pale and exhausted. He was coughing and shivering under his blanket.

"Looks like Konno- _sensei_ was right. You're really sick," the magician commented.

"Yes, unfortunately," the blond replied, gripping his blanket tightly around his body as if he felt very cold in his warm room. " _Baaya_ said you came to give me a paperwork."

"Oh, right. Here," the magician took out the paperwork from his bag and gave it to Saguru. "It is due next Tuesday. Make sure you've finished it before then."

"Thanks, Kuroba- _kun_ ," Saguru nodded, taking the paperwork from Kaito's hand. The blond only looked at it for a while, seemingly scanning it with his tired eyes. After that, he reluctantly let himself out of his blanket before getting out of bed to put the paperwork in his drawer. Once he had made sure the paperwork was properly stored in the right place, he immediately returned to his bed, wrapping himself again with his blanket.

"So? What happened to you? You looked fine the last time I saw you. How come you suddenly get sick?" Kaito asked from his chair, half worried, half curious.

"Overworking," the blond answered, coughing, "and cold weather in autumn."

"Overworking," the magician repeated, looking at his classmate curiously. "I'm sure you overworked yourself after ditching school two days ago. What were you doing?"

"Investigating."

"The assassination?"

Saguru nodded slowly.

"Why? Is it related to your case?" Kaito asked further.

"It is."

"Really?" the magician was quite surprised even though he had suspected it before. "Mind to tell me about it?"

"It's their real objective," Saguru said. "The culprit—Moriarty—their real target is those scientists."

"Eh?!" Kaito was really surprised this time. "How did you know that?"

"There have been many cybercrime cases recently. Internet frauds, malware attacks, data breaches, things like that. It's been plaguing Japan ever since the murder of Officer Ogawa and it only gets worse after the bombing at KID heist," the blond explained with his hoarse voice, coughing a few times before continuing, "if you haven't noticed, I'll let you know that some of the victims are powerful companies and important institutions. My family's company is included."

"Oh, you're right," Kaito said, recalling the recent news about cybercrime in Japan. He had read some news about data breaches a few weeks after the bombing. He also had heard the news about data breach in Hakuba Research Center. "So? You're telling me the assassination is related to cybercrime?"

Saguru nodded. "If you dig the news, you'll find that almost all notable research institutions in Japan suffer data breaches."

"Research institution... like Hakuba Research Center? Oh, wait," Kaito paused, realizing something. "The scientists—were they working on an important research? Is that why the culprit killed them?"

"Exactly."

"What is this research about?"

"Mysterious death."

"Mysterious death?" the magician frowned. "What's that?"

Saguru coughed for a while, then he cleared his throat before explaining. "Over the past 17 years, there have been a few cases of mysterious death occurred around the world and some of the victims are Japanese. These deaths are mysterious because until now, no one could explain why and how it was done. It didn't seem like the victims were killed, but it also didn't look like the victims were dead from natural cause. This research is about that, Kuroba- _kun_. About the mysterious death."

"Mysterious death, huh? That sounds creepy," the magician muttered. "So the sniper killed the scientists because of the research?"

"Yes."

"If that's the case, then this research must be very important to them," Kaito said. "The mysterious death probably was done by them. They don't want the scientists to find out the truth."

Saguru nodded. "I believe so."

Their conversation was interrupted when _Baaya_ entered the room with some refreshment, two cups of warm tea and a jar of cookies. The housekeeper excused herself immediately after finishing her job, once again leaving the two teenagers alone in the room. Kaito and Saguru enjoyed their tea for a moment before continuing their talk.

"So. The research," Kaito resumed their conversation as he opened the jar, taking out a few cookies. "How is the result?"

Saguru stopped sipping his tea, lowering the cup to his lap. "It hasn't finished yet."

"It hasn't finished? Wait. If they targeted this research, and there have been cybercrimes in many research institutions lately, you mean you want to tell me they did it to steal the research data?"

"Yes, and they succeed. The research has failed."

Kaito did not say anything for a while, only busy chewing cookies in his mouth. After that, he asked, "how did you get all of these info, Hakuba?"

"My grandfather told me," Saguru answered. "Our company's been supporting the research, you see. We cooperate with the government for that research. It was supposed to be a classified information—the research and the scientists—all of them are government's secrets, that's why we never heard about it before."

"Those scientists worked with your grandfather?"

"Yes."

"What exactly this research is talking about?" Kaito asked, getting more curious after knowing that the victims were Hakuba's and government's scientists. "I mean, I know it was intended for solving the mysterious deaths, but do you know anything more specific about it?"

"The main idea is _apoptosis_. Have you ever heard that term before?"

"Apoptosis? Well, yes. We learned a bit about it in biology class," Kaito replied. "If I remember correctly, it is a natural mechanism of our body cells to eliminate themselves when they are already old or damaged or infected."

"Correct," Saguru nodded. "My father and my grandfather have been suspecting that the mysterious death was caused by apoptosis since there weren't any traces left in the victims' body. They suspect the victims were killed by some kind of poison which was able to trigger apoptosis in the body. You know already how apoptosis works, Kuroba- _kun_. It makes the cell eliminates itself. Once apoptosis has been initiated, the cells would kill themselves automatically. I believe you can imagine what will happen if our cells kill themselves all of a sudden."

"Yeah." Kaito bit his bottom lip, feeling uneasy. "If the apoptosis doesn't stop, we will die eventually."

Saguru nodded again. "If the victims died due to natural mechanism in their own body, people wouldn't immediately think that the victims were poisoned. They wouldn't suspect the victims were killed."

"A silent killer. Brilliant," the magician commented, half amazed, half horrified.

"Yes. Truly brilliant," Saguru sighed. "This brilliant hypothesis is the reason why my grandfather gathered those scientists. They are skilled in topics related to apoptosis. This is also the reason why that research was born. Unfortunately the scientists were killed before they could finish the research. Not to mention the culprit also destroyed some important data. It's going to take more time to solve that case."

"They destroyed it? How?"

"Computer virus. Again, they destroyed everything that could be used to track them. The police haven't been able to find the culprit."

"I see. It's really unfortunate." Kaito commented as he took out another cookie from the jar. "But that doesn't mean we have lost hope. At least now we know that the apoptosis theory may be true since the culprit decided to kill the scientists who conducted the research. We still have a lead to solve that case."

"Mm, maybe you're right," Saguru smiled faintly, taking a sip of his tea. "This is what they want, Kuroba- _kun_. They planned my murder and bombing at KID heist to distract both the police and the public so that they would be able to steal information from research institutions. They were searching for those scientists all this time. They had been looking for them and their research," he continued grimly. "The murder and the bombing were intended not only to distract people, but also to create ideal situation for criminals in Japan. The proliferation of crimes, particulary cybercrimes, signifies the success of their plan. They wanted to create chaos to cover up their real objective."

"Hiding a tree in a forest, huh? They seem to be good at making strategy," Kaito said, squeezing his own hand unconsciously.

"Yes. Undoubtedly," Saguru agreed.

"So you're telling me all those people—Officer Ogawa, Officer Nakamura, Officer Kawaguchi, Takahashi- _san_ , and KID task force and the bomb squad—you're telling me they all died only for two scientists and their research," Kaito added hollowly. When he saw his friend nodding weakly, he clenched his fits furiously.

"Unforgivable," the magician hissed angrily, forgetting his poker face. He was so pissed when he found out that all those innocent people had to die only for two scientists who also had to die as soon as the sniper found them. It was too much, too cruel, too inhuman.

"Part of it is my fault, really," Saguru said before drinking all his tea until his cup was empty. After that, he placed the cup back on its saucer, putting it down on the bed next to him. "I told you a long time ago that I was afraid my murder case was only the beginning of another bigger crime, remember?"

Kaito snapped out of his anger. He immediately put his poker face back in place and turned his attention to his classmate. "Yeah, I remember."

"I forgot it. I completely forgot," the blond sighed. "I got distracted, Kuroba- _kun_. The bombing, the murder, the evidences—all of that distracted me. And then I found out that the culprit of both cases is Wermut... and I got distracted again. I kept looking for Wermut. I was too focused at Wermut that I didn't notice the cybercrime." The blond ruffled his hair frustratedly. "My grandfather—he asked me to help him when he found out that his laboratory had lost important data, but—but I ignored it. I left it to my father, thinking that it wasn't important... and I didn't even notice that they hid something important from me! If only I took that case seriously... If only I noticed their odd behaviour... I was too busy trying to figure out Wermut's identity. I ignored everything, Kuroba- _kun_. I didn't notice—I failed to notice." Saguru took a deep breath. "The police and Detective Mouri didn't notice it either. Wermut—the real culprit—they won this game. We lost."

"Hakuba..." Kaito was unsure what to say when he saw how depressed his friend was. After a while in silence, he finally asked, "you said the real culprit is Wermut. Who is Wermut?"

"A person skilled in disguise, a member of mysterious criminal syndicate, murderer of Officer Ogawa, and the brain behind the bombing at KID heist," the blond answered automatically. "Wermut manipulated Officer Kawaguchi and framed Takahashi- _san_ and Oda- _san_. That person is very cunning."

"Oh." Kaito already knew who Wermut was. He had known that name long before Saguru heard it and Saguru had mentioned the possibility of Wermut's disguise skill, but Kuroba Kaito should not know anything about Wermut. He had to ask Saguru that question to protect his identity as KID. "And what about the crow?" the magician asked again when he remembered his conversation with the sleuth almost two weeks ago.

"The crow?"

"Yeah. The crow. You said something about the crow before, that the crow deceived Kawaguchi or something like that. What about it?"

"Oh. That time. Yes, the crow. I remember," Saguru nodded in realization. "Well, Wermut is a part of the crow. I suppose you could say that the crow is Wermut's syndicate."

After hearing that, Kaito was silent for a moment. The crow. When he heard that word from Saguru's mouth that day on the rooftop, the first thing that came to his mind was black. And then Snake and his subordinates who always appeared with dark clothes. After that, he suddenly remembered his confrontation with _Tantei-kun_ 's enemy in Mystery Train. He remembered at that time the man called Bourbon told him about his colleague who helped him disguise as someone else and not too long before that Saguru deduced that his enemy, the one who killed Kawaguchi after manipulating him to blow up Suzuki museum at KID heist, was skilled in disguise. Kaito was shocked instantly. That time he was so terrified. There was a possibility Saguru's Moriarty was KID's enemy or _Tantei-kun_ 's enemy. They were clearly dangerous and this time they probably wanted to kill Saguru! Of course he was scared. And then he remembered his investigation on Kawaguchi. That time, he already knew that Kawaguchi was assisted by someone called Wermut. Kaito immediately realized that Wermut could be translated to Vermouth, an alcoholic beverage. Just like Bourbon. Just like Sherry.

The magician was in chaos when he found out. He was scared, worried, and panicked. His classmate was in serious danger! _Tantei-kun_ 's syndicate was going to kill him! They almost killed him! Kaito was in dilemma for a week as he gathered every information about people skilled in disguise. Saguru requested it and Kaito knew he would need it as well, but he was not sure if he really had to tell his British classmate about it. Saguru was already in danger and by knowing more, he would be in more danger, but after debating with himself for a week, he finally decided to fulfill Saguru's request. He would rather have the sleuth fully prepared in the fight against the crow. It was better compared to not knowing anything about his enemy. And now Saguru just confirmed that the crow was Wermut's syndicate. It did seem Kaito had guessed right about them. The Moriarty was _Tantei-kun_ 's enemy.

"Kuroba- _kun_?" Saguru called him, frowning curiously. "Is there something wrong?"

Kaito immediately snapped back to reality. It seemed he was taking quite a time drowning in his thoughts.

"No, everything's fine," the magician smiled, "but Hakuba, how did you know about these things? They sounded dangerous. Doesn't look like an easy task to have any info about them."

"Indeed. It wasn't easy to find them," Saguru said. " It's all thanks to KID's evidences, I think. KID had been investigating Kawaguchi after the bombing occurred. He gave his investigation result to Detective Mouri. From his investigation, we managed to know that Kawaguchi met Wermut in KID haters group and after that they ended up working together to kill KID. See? Officer Kawaguchi was manipulated."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kaito replied. "Oh, I remember you said Wermut is skilled in disguise. Is that true?" the magician asked again.

"Mm. Pretty much like KID."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"How did you know?"

"I have my source, Kuroba- _kun_."

"Oh? Your source?" Kaito was curious. "Who?"

"Classified."

"Hmm..." Kaito only hummed, then he asked again, "you said something about your dad and your grandfather, that they hid something from you? What makes you think so?"

"Their unusual behaviour. Didn't I tell you that?"

"Yeah, but care to explain about it?"

Saguru sighed. "My grandfather is a stubborn old man," he said. "Every time he asks me to help him, he always insists on having my assistance until his problems are solved. I could never say no to him and that's exactly why I rarely abandon his request. I won't refuse unless I have strong reason. I told you before that I joined KID bombing heist because my grandfather asked me to, didn't I? My case didn't seem to be strong enough to make me refuse him. Even Moriarty was not a good excuse."

"But you ignored that cybercrime case even though your grandfather asked your help," Kaito pointed out.

"Exactly. I left it to my father and my father didn't seem to mind despite him knowing how my grandfather usually would react to such an attitude. He knew that my grandfather wouldn't be pleased if I ignored his request, but my father didn't even remind me about that. He just let me go. And then my grandfather... he..." Saguru paused, sighed again. "He didn't touch that cybercrime even though he asked me to help him solve it. He didn't talk about crime cases at all when we had lunch together that day. He only wanted to meet me, to talk with me, to have a lunch with me. He only called me because he wanted to spend some time with me... as if he was going to go somewhere far away soon."

"Somewhere far away?" Kaito's eyes widened. "Wait. You don't mean he...?"

"He's still alive. Don't worry," Saguru answered immediately, "but at that time he thought his time was near. He thought someone was going to kill him because he knew very well what kind of information the criminals had stolen from his laboratory, but well, turns out the ones who died are his scientists."

"The research. So your grandfather knew," Kaito concluded. "And your dad also knew about it. They tried to keep you away, to save you from those criminals."

"Precisely."

"But if your grandfather knew, he should have noticed the criminals might want to kill the scientists, right? How come they ended up as the victims? Shouldn't they have received protection from the government? Or perhaps your grandfather has private security too, like Suzuki? Shouldn't he have protected them?" Kaito asked again.

"My grandfather doesn't have such security, Kuroba- _kun_ , and the government did give them protection, but the syndicate have eyes and ears in the government, or so I'm told. The government failed to protect them," Saguru looked down grimly. "And now my grandfather probably is in danger. He's a scientist too, you know, and he's the one who made a deal with the government to support that research. He always monitored it. The syndicate probably will try to eliminate him once they realize how much information about the research he knows. He's still alive only because the syndicate still think of him as the sponsor, not the brain like those poor scientists."

"That's... oh God, Hakuba..." Kaito was speechless, terribly worried with the case that his blond friend had to face. A syndicate who had eyes and ears in the government would not be easy to handle. In fact, they were very dangerous, just like Snake's organization was. Or maybe they were more dangerous since they had a master of disguise with them. Kaito was amazed when he remembered that _Tantei-kun_ was doing well fighting such a dangerous syndicate all this time in his little body, but _Tantei-kun_ 's case was a different matter compared to Hakuba. Kaito did not know how the little sleuth managed to get involved with the syndicate, but at least his situation seemed safer. Nobody wanted to kill Edogawa Conan. Nobody tried to harm his family and friends. Meanwhile, the syndicate had tried to kill Saguru, not just once, but twice! And they probably would try to kill his grandfather and maybe it would not stop there. It was possible Saguru's dad was also in danger.

"About the syndicate having eyes and ears in the government, who told you that, Hakuba?" the magician asked after a brief moment of silence.

"My source."

"Your source again? They seem to know the syndicate pretty well."

"Yeah." Saguru nodded.

"Did you go to your dad's office because they had told you something about the assassination before?"

"No," Saguru replied. "When I read about the assassination news, I immediately realized what exactly had happened. I went to my father's office. I went to my grandfather's house. I confronted them until they told me the truth." He coughed before smiled bitterly. "I've been played, Kuroba- _kun_ , just like Kawaguchi. I felt so stupid. I couldn't see Wermut's deception even when it was right in front of my eyes, in my family's laboratory. I couldn't even notice my own family's behaviour. I'm a failure."

Saguru sighed, then he slammed himself on his bed all of a sudden, making his empty teacup clatter and roll on the bed, almost falling on the floor. Kaito hurriedly caught the cup before it fell and shattered to pieces. He put it carefully on the desk and when he turned around to see his friend again, Kaito found Saguru curled up under the blanket, hiding his body from head to toe.

"Hakuba?" Kaito looked at his friend worriedly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I hate myself," the detective murmured softly. "I'm stupid. I'm an idiot."

"Ha-Hakuba?" Kaito was dumbfounded. He did not know what to do. He had never seen the sleuth in such a withdrawal. Saguru looked miserable and pessimistic and the magician did not like it one bit. Had the blond not been sick, Kaito would have been pranking him right now.

"I don't care if you think you're idiot, but is this your attitude towards your guest? You can't ignore me like this," the magician finally said, trying to make his friend come out of the blanket.

"But there's nothing more to discuss. Case closed. No more perspective needed," Saguru replied hoarsely under his blanket. "It's done, Kuroba- _kun_. They won. I lost. Game over."

"Don't say that," Kaito replied sharply. "Are you going to let them kill your family?"

Another silence, and then, "no, I'm not."

"Then get out. Stop hiding," Kaito said. "The game's not over yet, Hakuba. You can't give up now."

"But what can I do? I've failed my family! I've failed them all by getting manipulated by Wermut. I already failed to protect them," the detective retorted miserably under his blanket. "I'm the biggest failure. I'm a jerk, an idiot. I'm stupid."

"You can't be serious," Kaito growled. Saguru would never say those words. He would never belittle himself. He was someone who always learned from his mistakes without underestimating himself. Hakuba Saguru was always prideful and humble at the same time. He was a gentleman yet merciless against injustices. This person that Kaito witnessed hiding under his blanket, talking craps that belittled himself, and acting like a coward when his family was in danger was not Saguru he knew. He did not want to see this version of Saguru. Kaito could not take it anymore.

"Enough, Hakuba." Kaito grabbed the blanket, trying to take it from his classmate. It was clear he could not leave the blond like that—hiding behind his blanket and berating himself—after seeing his unusual attitude. Saguru immediately reacted when the magician tried to take the blanket from him.

"No! Stop! Leave me alone!" Saguru kicked his classmate, obviously trying to free his blanket from Kaito's clutch, but apparently he was not strong enough because in the end Kaito managed to take off the blanket.

"Give it back, Kuroba! It's cold." The blond sat up shivering, glaring at his classmate demandingly. Kaito only sighed. The detective did not even bother to add honorific – _kun_ after Kaito's name. It was truly unusual. The magician approached his friend, touching Saguru's forehead.

"Great. You're burning up." Kaito sighed again. Of course the sleuth would act out of character with such a high fever. "Lie down, Hakuba," he said, and surprisingly Saguru complied obediently. Once the blond had lain down on his bed, Kaito covered him with the blanket. Saguru looked content when his hands finally found his blanket. He gripped it tightly as he closed his eyes. The detective curled up again under the blanket, but this time he let his head out.

"Are you feeling better now?" Kaito asked.

"Mmhm," Saguru replied, snuggling closer to his pillow.

The magician smiled, then he sat himself at the edge of the bed. "Hey, Hakuba," Kaito said softly, "about your case, you just said it has done. It hasn't, you know. You can't end it like this. You have to protect your family."

"I know." Saguru opened his eyes slightly. "I know, but it really has done, Kuroba- _kun_. There's nothing I can do."

"Not that again." Kaito gave him another sharp look. "It really isn't like you to give up so easily, Hakuba."

"No, that's not what I mean," the blond shook his head slowly. "I mean it's done for real. Literally."

"Li-literally?" Kaito was surprised. "So you mean you can't investigate it anymore?"

"Yeah. Can't even if I want to."

"Why?"

"They forbid me. They no longer allow me to join their investigation."

"What? Why?"

"I told you Wermut is a member of mysterious criminal syndicate. My father knows about the syndicate, meaning the police also know about them. They told me I shouldn't get involved too much because it was dangerous," the blond explained. "And Inspector Megure no longer has authority over that case, which means I've lost my primary access to the police force. And my father too... He keeps forcing me to leave the case."

"Inspector Megure no longer has the authority? So who's the one in charge now?"

"NPA. PSB."

"Oh." Kaito blinked in surprise. NPA, National Police Agency. And PSB, Public Security Bureau, also known as TMPD PSB in Tokyo. If NPA and PSB were involved, it meant the case was not ordinary; it was beyond the capability of criminal investigation bureau. It was a case in national scale, not just Tokyo.

"This is seriously big," Kaito mumbled. Of course it had to be big. Kaito should not be surprised. After all, Wermut probably was _Tantei-kun_ 's enemy and _Tantei-kun_ 's enemy was capable in preparing explosives and even smuggling it in a train. The crow was undoubtedly very dangerous.

"Hey, Kuroba- _kun_..."

Kaito turned his face to his classmate. "Yeah?"

"You have to be careful."

"Huh?" the magician frowned. "Why?"

"They may want to kill you too."

"What?" Kaito was getting confused now. "What are you talking about?"

"My source told me this morning that KID had encountered them in the past."

"So? I'm not KID."

Saguru chuckled softly. "I knew you would say that," he said, "but you know I've been suspecting you as KID and since you're still my primary suspect, I have to warn you about them in case you're really KID."

"You really are persistent," the magician scowled. "So what if KID- _sama_ had encountered them? It doesn't have to mean that his life will be in danger."

"No. There's a chance they will target KID too," the blond replied, coughing a few times before continuing, "My source told me that KID had saved a defector of the syndicate. Wermut hated this defector so much and had tried to kill the defector several times before KID finally came to the rescue, helping by faking the defector's death. If the syndicate manage to figure out that KID had saved their traitor, they surely will try to kill KID. That's what my source said."

 _'A defector? I helped faking a defector's death?'_ Suddenly Kaito remembered the incident in Mystery Train again, when he disguised himself as a woman called Sherry. The magician remembered the time when he escaped from explosion in Mystery Train. He remembered that Tantei- _kun_ 's enemy had prepared a car of explosives for him—no—for Sherry.

 _'Sherry is the defector. She's the traitor,'_ the magician concluded in his mind. Sherry, a woman who was known as Haibara Ai these days. Someone who shared a very unusual fate with _Tantei-kun_. Both of them were shrunk into their child form. Kaito did not know how they managed to get shrunk, but he knew that they actually were not children. He already knew Edogawa Conan was actually Kudo Shinichi, that was why it was not hard for him to deduce that Haibara Ai actually was Sherry after he had disguised himself as her. They had similar faces, they had the same voices. Besides, Haibara Ai was too mature for a little girl, just like Edogawa Conan, and Conan clearly was closer to Ai compared to the other detective boys.

 _'But how come Hakuba's source knows this?'_ the magician wondered. As far as he knew, the only ones who knew about KID's involvement in Mystery Train case were _Tantei-kun_ , Sherry, and maybe Professor Agasa. Did that mean Saguru's source was one of them? Just who was that source?

"Why did your source tell you this?" Kaito finally asked, deciding to ignore the source's identity. He would ask Saguru later when the detective had gotten better. "If the defector is safe after faking his or her death, your source shouldn't tell you this at all. The more people know about the defector, the more the defector's life will be in danger."

"They want KID to be safe," Saguru answered. "They want to make sure KID has been warned. They told me because I seem to attend KID heist frequently. They want me to warn KID when we meet again in future heist."

Kaito was stunned for a moment. "Heeh, is that so."

"Well, I've warned you in case you're KID. You'd better be careful," the blond said, glancing at his friend with his sleepy eyes.

"Like I said, I'm not KID, but thanks for the warning," the magician shrugged, then his eyes caught the blond's exhausted face. "You know, you look like you're going to pass out anytime. Are you okay, Hakuba?"

"Of course not. I'm sick," Saguru retorted.

"Do you want me to call _Baaya_?"

"No, it's fine. I just need to sleep."

"If you say so." Kaito stood up from the bed and walked toward the desk to get his unfinished tea. After finishing his tea, he picked up his bag from the chair. "Alright. I guess it's time for me to leave."

"I won't mind if you want to stay a bit longer," the blond murmured.

"Nah, if I do that, you're not going to have any sleep," the magician pointed out, then he grinned. "Thanks for the refreshment though. I like the cookies."

"I'm glad you like it," the blond replied as he sat himself on the bed. "Thanks for coming here, Kuroba- _kun_."

"Don't mention it," the magician waved his hand nonchalantly. "Don't forget your paperwork. It is due Tuesday."

"Got it," Saguru nodded. "Kuroba- _kun_?"

"Hm?"

"I really meant what I said. You have to be careful."

"I'm not KID."

"It doesn't matter whether you're KID or not. I don't want to lose any of you."

Kaito froze and unconsciously held his breath. Saguru did not want to lose KID and Kaito? Did the blond really say that? Saguru rarely showed his concern toward KID and Kaito, and if he did show it, he would show it indirectly behind his smugness and vague words, but this time Saguru showed it so openly. No vague words, no smugness. It was just his concern, nothing else. That was why the magician almost could not believe what he had heard, but he knew he had heard it right. It seemed the detective was really out of character today.

"I see," Kaito smiled softly as he let out his breath quietly. His heart was fluttering and warm all of a sudden. It was a pleasant feeling. "Then you have to be careful too, Hakuba. I told you I don't want you dead, remember?"

"Yeah," Saguru smiled back, then he tried to get out of the bed, but before he stepped his feet on the floor, Kaito hurriedly stopped him.

"If you want to escort me to the front door, you don't have to do that. I can go by myself," the magician said.

"But—"

"You need rest. Just lie down on your bed and have some sleep," Kaito interrupted, then he smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, _Baaya_ 's waiting downstairs. I'm sure she will escort me in your place." He walked to the door and opened it. Before stepping out the room, the magician turned to his friend again. "Get a good sleep, okay? And maybe you should check your temperature. You're quite burning up."

"'Kay," the blond replied weakly before letting out a soft smile. "See you later, Kuroba- _kun_."

The magician smiled back. "Get well soon, Hakuba."

After that, Kaito left Saguru's room. He walked downstairs and chatted briefly with _Baaya_ before heading back toward his own home. He did not know why, but somehow he felt light and happy after visiting the half-Brit sleuth. Kaito wondered why he could have such feelings after checking up on his annoying classmate. The magician chuckled amusedly. He had always thought that he would not be able to get along with the blond. They were friends, Kaito could say that much, but he doubted they could be best friends when every time they met each other, all they did were only bickering and fighting and recently discussing cases. But now after remembering how enjoyable today had turned out to be, Kaito might have to change his mind.

He was surprisingly happy for being able to visit Saguru. He was glad he could talk to him. Maybe at last they were able to get along. Maybe finally he would gain another best friend besides Aoko although Kaito wondered why he had to gain such friendship in such a difficult time. Why did he have to wait until Hakuba was almost dead only to have him as his friend? Why could not it be more normal like the time when he met Aoko? But then Kaito shook his head fondly. He should have known that a friendship between a thief an a detective was not something that could be gained easily. They both were not normal. High school phantom thief and high school detective were certainly not normal occupations, so of course their friendship would not be like any normal high schoolers friendship. The most important thing for Kaito right now was the fact that he almost—if not already—gained the blond sleuth as his best friend and their friendship was gained after many hardships, griefs, and deaths. Kaito vowed he would not throw away their friendship easily. He would treasure it until his death and that was why he decided to help Saguru.

Kaito played with his doves that night after visiting Hakuba. The moon was exceptionally beautiful and the wind felt wonderful, making him regret that he did not have a heist that night. The magician stood at his balcony, gently caressing one of his doves.

"You know, Kaitou KID barely played in this game, so how could they end it now? It wouldn't be fair to KID, would it?" Kaito said to his dove in his hand, smiling gently yet at the same time coldly. His mind was drifting to Hakuba, Conan, Wermut, and the crow. All of them, together with him, were playing a dangerous game, but Kaito was not willing to end it like this, not with the death of innocent scientists. He could not accept this ending, that was why he decided the game had not finished yet. He would not let them end it just like that because no one should mess with innocent people. In addition, there was one thing that was no less important: they should know that no one messed with KID's detectives, especially with the one that he already considered as his best friend. If the syndicate had a master of disguise, then Kaito would make sure Saguru also had it. He would tell the world that no one should underestimate KID's loyalty to his detectives. He would make sure nobody would ever dare to underestimate his friendship with Saguru.

"Round two sounds good for revenge, don't you think?" he asked his dove that perched on his hand. The adorable white bird cooed excitedly as if it agreed with its master.

"That's it, then," Kaito concluded, letting his dove fly away from his hand. The magician stared at the moon, grinning menacingly. Kaitou KID had just made his decision.

Second round had just begun.

TBC

 **Hi, readers! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with works and unfortunately I also got sick for a few days, but I'm fine now! I still have to think about my job, so I might not be able to update every week. I'm terribly sorry.**

 **Anyway, thank you for waiting all this time and please let me know what you think about this chapter. Thank you very much for your support! See you next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and My OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 17**

 ** _Tantei-san_** **'s Visit**

It was Sunday morning when Kaito's phone ringing and vibrating loudly on the desk, indicating that it just received a text. The magician woke up in surprise, and then he groaned when he saw the clock. It told him that the day was still early, not even 7 o'clock in the morning. Kaito grumbled as he got up from his bed, reaching for his phone. In his mind, he cursed his sensitivity toward sounds; years being a magician and a phantom thief trained him to be very aware of his surroundings, resulting in him being easily awakened only by a little sound. If only he did not forget to set his phone in silent mode yesterday. He was so tired after spying on a certain bespectacled boy for almost a week and investigating people in _Tantei-kun_ 's surroundings. After all _Tantei-kun_ knew the crows better than him, so he needed to stalk him to know more about them. Kaito thought he could get a better long sleep after nights of hard work since today was Sunday, but his damn phone woke him up before the right time. Whoever that texted him, that person had better be telling him something important because Kaito was not in good mood, but then he saw Hakuba's name on his phone, making him wonder. Hakuba did not often text Kaito, so the magician found it to be unusual when the detective texted him in the early morning. And since it was unusual for the sleuth to text him, Kaito could not help but be curious, forgetting his bad mood completely. After yawning widely, he opened the text, reading it in his mind.

 _Are you at home? Can I come over?_

"Huh?" Kaito blinked. What? Hakuba wanted to visit him? In the early morning? Why? The blond never visited him before. Well, actually he visited sometimes only to drop Aoko off after a heist or only to meet Inspector Nakamori and while he was at their home, sometimes he visited him as well since the magician was Nakamoris' neighbor. In other words, Hakuba never really wanted to visit him, so why in the world the blond wanted to visit his home today?

Kaito was curious and a little suspicious. After all, this was about his rival, KID's detective. Of course the phantom thief would be suspicious if he noticed his rival want to come to his house, but despite this suspicion, Kaito decided to text him back, telling the sleuth that he was at home and Hakuba was welcomed to visit anytime. Hakuba might be KID's rival, but at the same time he was Kaito's friend. The magician should not refuse his own friend's visit, should he? It would be very improper. With that in mind, Kaito sent his text to Hakuba, welcoming the blond's intention to visit him. The reply from Hakuba came almost instantly.

 _Got it. I'll be there in less than an hour._

Kaito gaped. "Oh no." He hurriedly got up from his bed, tidying his room and storing everything connected to KID in his secret lair. He did not forget to lock the door. After that he ran toward the washroom, washing his face and brushing his teeth. 10 minutes later, the magician was busy in the kitchen, making breakfast as well as checking refreshment for his guest. Tea. Coffee. Milk. Sugar. Biscuits. Okay, he was ready. Hakuba could visit anytime.

Kaito ate his breakfast, a bowl of cereal with milk, as he waited for his friend to come. After that, he spent his time watching news about the progress of Suzuki Museum renovation, natural disaster happened in other country, the recent murder of scientists by a sniper, and data breaches in some companies on TV, still waiting for Hakuba. Around 30 minutes later, the guest finally arrived. Hakuba was escorted by his housekeeper, but his housekeeper left him as soon as Kaito opened the door and welcomed him into his house. The teenage detective told him that his housekeeper would pick him up later after he called her.

"Have a seat, Hakuba," Kaito said as he waved his hand toward a sofa in the living room. "Tea? Milk? Coffee?"

"Tea, thank you."

"Sugar?"

"Yes, please." Saguru sat himself on the sofa, looking around Kaito's home intently. Seeing that, Kaito could not help but chuckle.

"Nothing has changed, you know. Everything is the same as the last time you came here. And please stop looking around like a nosy detective. You're not in a crime scene," he said.

Saguru grinned. "I'm here as your friend, Kuroba- _kun_ , not as a detective. I'm not going to ransack your home for evidence. Please rest assured."

"Heh. Good to know." Kaito grinned back. "Just wait there for a moment. I'll bring some refreshment for us."

"Thanks."

Kaito went to the kitchen, preparing tea for his guest. A few minutes later, he brought two mugs of warm tea and a jar of biscuits to the living room, placing it on the table. Saguru thanked him again and immediately sipped his tea.

"Mmm, it's good," the blond sighed contently.

"Thanks," Kaito smiled as he sat himself in front of his guest. "Honestly I'm not sure if I can make a proper tea. It's been a long time since the last time I have a guest."

"If that's the case then you have nothing to worry about. This tea is delicious," Saguru said. "Are you still living alone?"

"Yeah, but _Kaa-san_ still visits from time to time," the magician answered. "So what brings you here in such an early morning?"

"The case."

"The case?" Kaito blinked. "I thought you wouldn't investigate it anymore."

"Not in my usual way," the blond nodded.

Kaito frowned. "You still investigate it?"

"Well, you told me not to give up easily."

"That's true," Kaito let out a meaningful smile. "So that means you're investigating it secretly. With your source."

"Correct, and I'm here to tell you something important about it," Saguru admitted.

"Is it about my perspective again? If it's about that, we can discuss it tomorrow at school, you know."

"It's not about that. It's more like a news, and perhaps a warning too. I prefer to discuss it in private like this, Kuroba- _kun_ , and I don't want to wait until tomorrow."

"Oh?" Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that important?"

"It is." Saguru sipped his tea again. He looked a bit nervous. The blond took a deep breath as he put down the mug on the table, looking at his classmate seriously. "Kuroba- _kun_ , you have to listen to me."

Kaito held his breath unconsciously as he looked at Saguru's seriousness. The half-British was always serious, but he rarely made that kind of face. Saguru looked extremely serious. Somehow it made Kaito uneasy. He did not think he would be hearing a good news from his classmate.

"Okay," the magician finally said. "I'm listening. Go ahead."

Saguru nodded. "It's about the crows. I believe we've talked about them a few days ago when you visited me. Do you remember it?"

"Yeah. You told me KID gave you some info about them. You also told me about one of the crows, Wermut."

"Yes," Saguru said. "Well, Wermut. It's just a username, not a real name. And that person had used another name for another crime: Vermouth."

"Oh. Okay. Wermut. Vermouth. German and French. Makes sense." Kaito nodded. Of course he had noticed it long before Saguru realized it. He was the one who obtained evidences about Wermut. He was the one who gave the evidences to Mouri, knowing Wermut could be translated to Vermouth which was also a name of alcoholic beverage and he as Kaitou KID had encountered people with similar names before: Sherry and Bourbon, all thanks to _Tantei-kun_. He figured _Tantei-kun_ might know Vermouth. That was why he gave the evidences to Detective Mouri. "You said this Wermut or Vermouth had committed another crime?"

"Yes, though not directly. She made a murder plan for someone just like she made a bombing plan for Kawaguchi," Saguru said. "The murder happened on Halloween last year, in a Halloween party. Detective Mouri was invited by Vermouth to attend it. The invitation also contained a murder threat in it."

"I see—wait." The magician frowned. "She? Vermouth is female?"

"Yes, according to my source."

"Oh. Your source again." Kaito looked at his friend curiously. "Who's your source?"

"We can discuss about them later, not now."

"Okay," the magician did not press any further. "So. Vermouth invited Detective Mouri to a Halloween party with a threatening invitation. Was that supposed to be a challenge?"

"Perhaps. But it's also possible it was meant for diversion," Saguru replied.

"Diversion?"

"Yes. It is most likely Wermut planned the murder and the bombing to divert the police attention from the scientists, so it is also possible she invited Detective Mouri to the party to divert him from something else," the detective explained. "In any case, it is clear that Wermut or Vermouth knows Detective Mouri. I guess that's the reason why KID decided to send the evidences to Detective Mouri. He must have noticed that Detective Mouri has a connection with Vermouth."

"Oh." Kaito did not say anything else. He looked down at his own tea in his hand, poker face plastered carefully to hide his emotion. _'No, KID doesn't know this. I don't know anything about this,'_ he thought. He had never heard about Vermouth in Detective Mouri's case. He did not know anything about the Halloween murder case. All he knew was that _Tantei-kun_ —Edogawa Conan—had some enemies with liquor names. "So Vermouth had done a crime before and this time she decided to commit another crime using a new name: Wermut, which is only a German version of Vermouth. Don't you think it is too risky for her to use such a simple name? The police could find her out easily with that name. Are you sure they are the same person?"

"My source has confirmed it. No doubt they are the same person," Saguru said, "and you said it is too risky for her to use that name? The answer is both yes and no. Yes because we obviously managed to find out about her involvement and no because even though we finally found her, we still couldn't arrest her. Do you still remember Wermut's real objective, Kuroba- _kun_?"

"Huh?" Kaito blinked, surprised by the sudden question. "Yeah. Well, you told me her syndicate wanted to kill those scientists and steal their important research."

"That's right," Saguru nodded, "and I just told you that Wermut planned the murder and the bombing to divert police attention from that research and those scientists. That was her job, Kuroba- _kun_. That's exactly what she did. She diverted their attention to Officer Ogawa's murder and the bombing heist. She diverted their attention to her own crime and her own name so that they would only focus on her in the end, leaving the scientists and any other crimes without proper watch." Saguru smiled bitterly. "Detective Mouri chased her. TMPD chased her. I chased her. No one was left to guard the scientists and their research. In the end, name doesn't matter much for Vermouth as long as it isn't her real name."

"But if she keeps doing it—risking her alias like that—the police will catch her eventually."

"Well, it has no difference with KID, right? KID always uses the same alias and worse, he always warns the police about his heists," Saguru said. "I guess they are more or less similar. They want attention to hide their real intention."

Kaito frowned. Did Saguru just say that the phantom thief had hidden intention?

"Are you saying KID has another intention behind his crime?" the magician finally decided to ask.

"Yes. Actually is isn't hard to deduce he has hidden purpose," Saguru answered. "He only targets big jewel. Every time I confronted him, he always had the same habit: staring at the gem under the moonlight, and only after that he would decide whether or not the gem was _the right one_. He is obviously looking for a specific gem. Besides, I do notice that sometimes he has intruders in his heists. The first time I noticed, it was after his confrontation with Kaitou Corbeau. After that I made an investigation and from that, I managed to find out that something similar happened in Red Tear heist—oh, maybe it wasn't quite a heist since KID canceled his intention to steal that gem and decided to come to protect it instead—and KID visited me recently, telling me that there are people targeting his life, so..." Saguru paused, then he shook his head. "In short, I have an idea those intruders are related to KID and his purpose of targeting big jewel. It is clear those intruders don't like KID and maybe they have been trying to kill him all this time. It is possible KID has been trying to arrest those intruders by alarming the police about his heists. It is also possible KID and those intruders have been targeting the same _right_ jewel, but I'm here not to talk about KID, so could we finish this here and return to our conversation about the crows?"

"Oh. Okay," Kaito agreed automatically while his mind was freezing in shock. He did not expect the blond to notice so many things about KID when he was rarely in Japan lately. Saguru often went to England and only came back and stayed in Japan long enough recently after summer break. The half-Brit had missed many heists yet he still managed to make the right deduction about KID. Kaito had to admit that the blond was amazing.

"So. Back to the topic." Kaito cleared his throat in an attempt to unfreeze his mind. "Even if it's true KID has hidden intention, I don't think Vermouth and KID are alike. Vermouth only let the police notice her alias. She never lets them see her in action like KID, right? She isn't a showman like him."

Saguru only smirked. "Probably, but once you know her real identity, you'll be surprised how similar KID and her are."

"Huh?" Kaito stared at his friend in disbelieve. "Wait wait wait—so you already know her real identity?"

"Yes, and I'm sure NPA and PSB already know her too. They just don't have any proof to arrest her or perhaps they only wait for the right time to arrest her."

"How did you know that?"

"I deduced. Security Bureau of TMPD and NPA are capable in infiltrating. My source told me there are several undercover agents in the syndicate and through them, my source managed to confirm that Vermouth and Wermut are the same person, so there is a probability those agents are from NPA or PSB. And my father too; I noticed he's been busy working with PSB ever since the police had found out about Vermouth's involvement, long before the assassination happened. My father knows that name. PSB knows it too."

Kaito was speechless. Hearing things like that made him anxious all of a sudden. Vermouth was dangerous. She was very clever, cunning, manipulative, and certainly very skilled. She could predict the future so well that even after finding her, the authorities still could not make any move to arrest her, so well that her objective was achieved without any problem even after risking her own identity, so well that she still managed to get out even after the phantom thief had helped his detectives. She was truly a depiction of Moriarty, untouchable even after the authorities had found out her real identity. _Tantei-kun_ had been facing her all this time and now Saguru was dragged into the same danger. Kaito felt terribly worried when he thought about that.

"Alright. So basically Vermouth is a great criminal strategist. You also told me before that she was skilled in disguise and a member of a criminal syndicate. With her disguise skill, most likely her job in the syndicate is as an infiltrator agent. Am I correct?" Kaito looked at Saguru and when he saw his classmate nodding his head, the magician was silent for a moment, carefully trying to hide his anxiety after learning how dangerous that criminal was. Vermouth was an infiltrator agent, meaning she could be as good as him in infiltrating, or maybe even better than him since she seemed to have more experience than him. Vermouth could be a formidable opponent even for a phantom thief like him. He really could not underestimate her.

"And you know her real identity. You know her real name," Kaito said after a while, his eyes locked on the detective in front of him.

"Yes," Saguru answered.

"Who is she?"

Saguru did not answer immediately. He only looked back at his classmate before turning his gaze to his mug. He sipped his tea again. Kaito watched as Saguru lowered the mug to his lap, squeezing it uncomfortably. The blond was nervous. Seeing his friend like that, Kaito could not help but getting nervous himself.

"Hakuba?"

Saguru took a deep breath, then he turned his attention back to the magician. "Before I tell you who she is, there is something else you need to know first."

"What is it?"

"Vermouth is related to your family."

Kaito's eyes widened. He could not believe his ears. "She's related to my family?"

"Yes. My source said so," Saguru nodded. He placed the mug back on the table, taking another deep breath. After that, he looked at his friend in the eye. "Kuroba- _kun_ , she was your father's apprentice."

TBC

* * *

 **Dear readers, I'm terribly sorry for the wait. Lately I've been super busy and my mood's been unstable like a roller coaster. I'm beginning to think that perhaps I've been stressed out. Really not good, huh?**

 **Anyway, since I've been in bad mood, I think doing something different once in a while may enlighten me, so I decided to continue this fic. Sooo... here it is, chapter 17! I hope you all like this chapter. Thank you very much for waiting patiently all this time.**

 **I'm planning to end this fic on the next chapter, so please look forward to it. Thank you for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho. I own nothing but this fanfic and My OCs. I don't intend to make money from this fic. I purely write this fic to improve my English skill and to entertain myself and readers.

 **Chapter 18**

 **The Apprentices, the Crow, and the Unlikely Alliance**

Saguru remembered the time when he confronted his father and his grandfather for the truth. He remembered clearly how angry he was when he found out that they had been hiding important information from him. He shouted at them, forgetting his politeness and respect to his elders. He was disappointed with them. How could they keep him in the dark when they perfectly knew he was almost dead in Wermut's hand? His father remained silent, did not want to tell him anything to maintain the confidentiality of government's secrets, but his grandfather was willing to tell him some things, acknowledging his involvement in Wermut's syndicate. He told him about the scientists. He told him about the research. After hearing his grandfather's story, Saguru was shocked. His anger did not subside. Instead it only got worse. Saguru was furious, but this time his rage was not meant for his family. He was angry at himself for failing to notice the predicament in his own family. He was angry at himself for falling into Wermut's deception.

Saguru contacted Hattori after that, telling him what had happened in his family's business, telling him about Wermut's real objective. In return, Hattori gave him another information about Wermut's syndicate and its relationship with KID. Those information only made him more frustrated. Not only was his family in danger, KID was also in danger. KID had confronted the syndicate which means it was possible the syndicate had been paying attention to him. It was not impossible for them to suddenly make a decision to eliminate the phantom thief. Kuroba was in danger. His friend was in a serious threat.

With all the stress he had been under since the murder of Officer Ogawa, Saguru's body finally reached its limit. He fell sick. And it felt worse when he remembered his failure in reading Wermut's trap. He began to hate himself, but then Kuroba came. He told him not to give up easily. He wanted him to keep fighting. He wanted him to protect his family. Kuroba cheered him up. Only after the magician's visit Saguru was back to his old self. He focused in getting well, and then he decided to investigate the case further. His father would not help him since a part of his job was to keep secret information from a civilian like him, so he asked his grandfather's assistance. He still kept in touch with Hattori and some officers in TMPD. He was aware he could not give up yet. He needed to protect his family and friends from the syndicate. Kuroba was right. He had to keep fighting.

Saguru did not stop working, did not stop investigating. Hattori began to trust him with more information ever since the assassination of the scientists because after that, it was clear Saguru and his family was involved with the syndicate. Finally the Osakan was willing to tell him who exactly the syndicate was. He told him the real identity of Vermouth. Those information surprised him greatly, but those information also strengthen his resolve to take down the syndicate. He had to destroy them for good, not only for him and his family, but also for his friend, Kuroba, who appeared to be related to the syndicate not only because of his role as KID, but also because of his family's connection.

Kuroba had cheered him up when he was feeling down. Kuroba had helped him with his insight as a magician. Saguru owed him, that was why he promised to himself he would protect Kuroba at all costs. Kuroba needed to know the truth about the syndicate if Saguru really wanted him alive, no matter how bitter the truth was. Kuroba needed the truth to protect himself. That was why Saguru was sitting here today, in Kuroba's house, in front of Kuroba himself. He just told him that Vermouth was related to Kuroba family. He told him that Vermouth was Toichi's apprentice. Judging by the look on Kuroba's face, Saguru was sure the magician was truly surprised and confused. His response a second later only confirmed his guess.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Kaito was taken aback, looking back at the sleuth confusedly. "No way. That's impossible. My dad only had two apprentices, Sharon Vineyard and Kudo Yukiko. Sharon Vineyard had passed away and Kudo Yukiko—well—she's Kudo Shinichi's mother, Kudo Yusaku's wife. There's no way she could be an assassin. Unless my dad had another apprentice without my mom knowing, then it's impossible Vermouth was my dad's apprentice."

"Kudo Yukiko isn't Vermouth and Vermouth wasn't your father's secret apprentice," Saguru stated, then he took a deep breath before continuing, "Vermouth is Sharon Vineyard."

"What?" the magician was becoming more confused. "Hakuba, she's dead."

"She isn't. Trust me, Kuroba- _kun_ , she's alive."

"You mean she faked her death?"

"Yes. She's using another identity now. Do you know Chris Vineyard?"

"Sharon's daughter?"

Saguru nodded. "Vermouth is her."

Kaito was speechless. This was too much for him. Sharon was Vermouth. Vermouth was Chris. That meant Sharon was Chris? What a simple yet confusing logic!

"I-I don't understand," he stuttered. "If it's like that, then... then who exactly is Vermouth? Sharon or Chris?"

"She's both. She went by Sharon's identity to learn disguise from your father, befriended Kudo Yukiko, and created Chris Vineyard, another identity of her. She killed Sharon sometime ago and has been using Chris' identity since then."

"So you're saying that Sharon and Chris—they are the same person?"

Saguru nodded.

"Then... if what you said is true, it means she's actually quite old, right?"

"Right, but my source told me that her look as Chris isn't a disguise. It seems she manages to keep her youth."

"Really? What a remarkable youth she has," Kaito commented in suspicion. "Sharon's age at least was around 50 when she died, so it means Vermouth's age is at least around 50 years old too, right? But Chris is only 29-30 years old. Such an old age in such a young appearance... how is it possible?"

"I know. I myself can't really believe it, but my source—they are very good in this. I don't have a choice but to trust them," Saguru said. "But let's save her appearance for later. There's something else we need to discuss."

"Alright. Go on," Kaito said, sipping his tea to relax himself. The fact that Sharon was Vermouth was really surprising for him. Saguru was right when he said he would be surprised. Vermouth was an actress, which means she was also a showman like KID. They both had a showman mentality, poker face, and disguise skill. The only thing that differs them was KID's magic skill and Vermouth's syndicate. Vermouth's identity had shocked Kaito greatly, but it seemed Saguru still had another surprise for him. The magician felt so nervous that he was not sure his poker face would last long if he could not keep his composure.

"As I said before, Vermouth is a member of a criminal syndicate," Saguru continued his explanation. "I know this syndicate. Edogawa- _kun_ and the Mouris also know them. KID knows them too."

"KID knows?" Kaito frowned. If that meant his encounter with Bourbon in Mystery Train, then sure, he knew them. _Tantei-kun_ obviously knew them since they were his enemy. The Mouris knew them? Okay, maybe it was acceptable to assume the Mouris knew them since Vermouth invited Detective Mouri to a certain Halloween party last year, but Hakuba? He should not know them, right?

"Yes, KID knows," Saguru nodded. "Moriarty is known to us all. We investigated them, actually, in the past, but only on the surface that time. I myself never thought they are still exist."

 _'Still exist?'_ Kaito did not understand. "Wait. What do you mean? Are they supposed to be extinct?"

"Yes. People think so. They are crows who were supposed to die almost half a century ago: Karasuma."

"Karasuma?" Kaito repeated with a puzzled look as if he had not heard such a name, but actually he was shocked and freaked out when he heard that name. Karasuma Renya! The Sunset Manor case! And the crow was Karasuma's crest! Of course he knew! He was there as Kaitou KID together with Saguru and _Tantei-kun_. He knew that Karasuma was supposed to die around 40 years ago, but what was this? Saguru just told him that they were still exist as a criminal syndicate?!

"Yes, Karasuma," the blond affirmed. "A long time ago I was invited together with another 7 detectives including Detective Mouri to solve a case about secret treasure in a manor which was once belonged to Karasuma Renya who was supposed to die 40 years ago. Detective Mouri brought Ran- _san_ and Edogawa- _kun_ with him, so they also know about Karasuma. Unfortunately Detective Mouri didn't manage to attend in the end; KID disguised as him and left him in a gas station. Our client used KID's name, so maybe that was why that thief decided to join the gathering, but that's not really my point. My point is our Moriarty actually is Karasuma or at least connected to that family."

"I see. Karasuma. Who were they before they died?"

"They were a very prestigious family. Multi-billionaire," the blond answered. "But Karasuma Renya is—mmm—an intriguing person. He wasn't a decent man. According to information I had gathered from my case in his manor, he was a cruel and greedy man. He hired people to solve a treasure riddle, but if they failed he would kill them." Saguru was aware that Kaito already knew all of that; he was KID and KID was present in that case, but Kuroba Kaito should not know anything about Karasuma Renya, so of course the magician needed to make that question. Fine, Saguru could play along.

"What makes you think our Moriarty is connected to them? You did say they were supposed to die," the magician asked again.

"My source told me that the syndicate's boss—Vermouth's boss—is Karasuma. And you're right, at first I thought it wasn't possible since as far as I know, Karasuma family had died out, but then when I thought about it again, and after discussed it with my source, it's possible they have some descendants who's been living with another names... and it may sound crazy, but if Vermouth's able to keep her youth after all this time, then maybe—"

"I got it," Kaito interrupted. "Perhaps there is a member of Karasuma family who's as old as her and looks as young as her. This Karasuma might have been living with another identity just like Vermouth. It is even possible Karasuma Renya's still alive today."

"Yes."

"So, this Karasuma syndicate, what are they called?"

"My source called them Black Organization. Their top members have codenames based on alcoholic beverages."

"Vermouth is an alcoholic beverage, so she's one of their top members."

"True."

 _'And Bourbon and Sherry are also top members,'_ the magician added in his mind as he swallowed his tea until his mug was empty. Unlike him, Saguru decided to drink it slowly, sipping it in a polite manner. They did not talk for a brief moment, enjoying the silence and the company of tea until the magician decided to speak.

"What else do I need to know, Hakuba?"

Saguru only looked at Kaito for a moment before he put down his mug on the table. After that he looked at the magician again, this time with more serious face.

"I'm going to tell you a very important secret, Kuroba- _kun_. Can I trust you?"

"I don't need to know if it's not related to me."

"It is related to you."

"Then you can trust me," Kaito replied lightly. "Don't worry. A magician never reveals his secrets."

The blond smiled. "Very well. I'll trust you. It's still about your father's apprentice. This time it's related to Kudo Yukiko."

"What about her?"

"Her son, Kudo Shinichi, has been missing since last year. Do you know that?"

"Yeah. Kudo is very popular here," Kaito said.

"Kudo- _kun_ 's been involved with Black Organization. I heard he was supposed to have died, murdered by them, but he managed to survive and has been hiding from them since then."

"I-I see," Kaito looked surprised, but no, actually he was not. He was fully aware who Kudo Shinichi was. He knew that Kudo and _Tantei-kun_ were one and the same thanks to the case that they had encountered in the past, a case when a Russian sniper almost killed Kaitou KID in the head. "Does Yukiko- _san_ know about this?"

"She knows. In fact, she and her husband have been helping Kudo- _kun_ secretly. They know about the organization, they know Karasuma, they also know about Vermouth," Saguru replied. "Your father's apprentices have been in each other's throat all this time."

The magician sighed. Of course. _Tantei-kun_ was Kudo Shinichi and he had been in war with the organization, meaning he was also in war with Vermouth. It was only to be expected that Yukiko was dragged in the same war since she was _Tantei-kun_ 's mother.

"My dad wouldn't be happy with this," Kaito groaned, covering his face with his palms. "How come his students end up fighting each other? I can't imagine what he would do if he's still alive. And _Kaa-san_ —shit—she's going to hate this; she told me she loved chatting with them, especially Yukiko- _san_. If she knows that Sharon's organization almost killed Kudo Shinichi—God, I don't even want to think about it."

"You can tell your mother if you want, but please make sure she can be trusted. It's very important, something that might determine Kudo- _kun_ 's life," Saguru said as he took his mug again, drinking the remaining tea in it.

"Mm. I'll think about it," Kaito replied, then he frowned suspiciously at the sleuth. "Hey, Hakuba, don't tell me your source is him? Kudo?"

"Not quite. I can't possibly call him when he's in hiding. I don't want to endanger him," Saguru said.

"Hmm," the magician hummed in a contemplation act. _'Not quite, huh?'_ somehow Kaito had a feeling there was something else behind that sentence. ' _Not quite... does that mean Kudo is also acting as his source, but indirectly?'_ If that was the case, in what way did Kudo and Hakuba contact each other? The blond clearly told Kaito that Kudo could not possibly contact him since he had been in hiding, so that means Kudo had another way to contact Hakuba, perhaps through another person. Who was that person?

 _'Don't tell me he told Hakuba through his_ 'relative' _, Conan?'_ Kaito thought hesitantly. but then that idea sounded impossible since Conan was only a kid. He was not supposed to know such a big criminal organization. Besides, the idea of Kudo telling his little relative about those criminals seemed so absurd. A great detective like him would not put an innocent child in danger by telling him dangerous things like Black Organization.

 _'Wait. If it isn't possible for Kudo to inform his little relative about the syndicate, then does that mean Hakuba is already aware of Conan's identity?'_ But _Tantei-kun_ was not someone who could easily trust people with his identity. Kaito was sure of this because by telling people about his identity, it would be the same as telling them about Haibara Ai's identity. Haibara was Sherry. The more people knew her identity, the more threatened her life would be. After all, she was a defector of the organization which means the organization wanted her dead. Besides, recently Kaito had been diligently spying on _Tantei-kun_ , but he did not see any sign of him contacting Hakuba with his real persona, Kudo Shinichi.

 _'Looks like he hasn't found out about Tantei-kun,'_ Kaito concluded after pondering for a while. _'If he hasn't found out about Tantei-kun, then...'_ the magician looked at his friend before stating _,_ "your source is someone who's able to talk with Kudo."

"Yes." Saguru easily admitted without any hesitation, confirming Kaito that he truly did not know anything about Conan's real identity.

"And since I remember you told me that your father and the police force didn't want to involve you anymore, I'm guessing your source isn't a cop."

The magician made another deduction and again, the detective admitted easily. After that, Kaito fell silent again, only looking at his friend while thinking deeply.

Who was Saguru's source? Who was the person that acted as a bridge between him and Kudo? Conan and Ai was out of option for obvious reason: technically they were just children who were supposed to know nothing about the syndicate. _'What about Professor Agasa?'_ the magician suddenly remembered the old scientist who was a confidant of _Tantei-kun_ and Sherry. Agasa was a trusted friend of Kudo family. It was not impossible for him to be a bridge between Kudo and Saguru, but then again, after thinking a bit longer, Kaito found the idea to be dubious. As far as he knew, Saguru and the Kudos were not acquaintances which means the probability of the Kudos trusting Saguru with important info about the organization was almost nonexistent. If the Kudos had not trusted Saguru, there was no way the professor would trust him. After all, he was a loyal friend of the Kudos.

 _'This means the professor's out of option and so are Kudo's parents,'_ Kaito concluded. Now he was sure that Saguru's source was someone other than them who also knew about Kaitou KID's involvement in Mystery Train case, someone who perhaps was close to Kudo and was trusted by him. Perhaps this person also knew his real identity and of course, this person obviously knew Saguru. _'And someone like that is...'_

 _'Ah.'_ Something clicked in Kaito's head. "Hattori?" he finally guessed.

The blond smirked. "Keep it secret."

"No problem," Kaito smirked back. "So Hattori told you all that? How did he know so much? I mean, sure, Kudo must have informed him, but how did Kudo know all that when he's supposed to be hiding?"

"Kudo- _kun_ has his own source, people who are connected to the organization," Saguru said. "I told you before that my source managed to confirm that Vermouth and Wermut are the same person with the help of undercover agents, remember?"

"Oh, right." Kaito frowned. _'Undercover agent?'_ his mind recalled a certain person with tanned skin whom he met in Mystery Train. Bourbon. That guy was working at Poirot, a small cafe below the Mouri Detective Agency. Kaito knew because he had spied on KID Killer for so many times as a precaution for his heist and after his discovery about Wermut, the thief started investigating him more closely. He had visited Poirot a couple of times, wearing his disguise, carefully observing Bourbon who was known as Amuro Tooru in public. There was no way Kudo Shinichi would let a member of Black Organization hang around him so freely like that. Not to mention sometimes Kaito saw his little critic talking seriously with Bourbon as if they were in a middle of a very important discussion. It was so odd when Kaito witnessed them in that situation. What an odd relationship between enemies! But now after Saguru told him that Kudo had a contact with undercover agent, it all made sense to him. That Bourbon guy definitely was the undercover agent. Added with his statement in Mystery Train, the one about his colleague who had helped him in disguise, it was clear now that Bourbon knew Vermouth.

When Kaito realized that Edogawa Conan managed to get such a valuable source, Bourbon, to his side, the magician was amazed. It seemed his little detective was both awesome and terrifying. Kaito really had to be extra careful around him because now he realized Conan was not only smart and witty. He probably was also capable in manipulating people for his own ends. In fact, the boy blackmailed him once in that damn Mystery Train. Kaito would never allow himself to be trapped in such a situation again. Never again would he let _Tantei-kun_ take advantage of him.

"So, Hakuba," Kaito began, focusing his attention back on his classmate, "does this mean the undercover agent is a top member in the organization?"

"I think so. After all, only a top member is able to get closer to another top member and Vermouth clearly is one of the organization's top members."

"So Hattori and Kudo finally trust you with all that delicate info, huh."

"Yes. They don't really have a choice but to let me in, considering the organization most likely will be keeping an eye on me and my family after trying to murder me and stealing data from my family's laboratory. They think it is only appropriate that I should be allowed to know more about the organization since there is a possibility the organization have made my family their enemy," Saguru answered.

"Of course." Kaito smiled bitterly, still did not like to hear that his best friend was involved in such a big and dangerous crime in a way that could kill him and his family. "So is that all? Anything else?"

"That's all for now," Saguru replied.

"I see." Kaito glanced at Saguru's empty mug. "Want to have more tea?"

"No, thanks, but can I have water?"

"Sure," Kaito nodded before taking Saguru's mug and his own mug back to the kitchen to refill it with water. A moment later, he was back with two mugs full of water.

"Are you still going to investigate it secretly, Hakuba? You already know so much," he said as he placed the mugs on the table.

"Not so much to bring them down, Kuroba- _kun_ , and yes, I'm still going to investigate it," Saguru answered.

Kaito sat back on the sofa. "It's dangerous."

"I'm aware of that."

"Then why?"

"They killed and hurt so many people. Innocent people," the blond replied, eyes flickering with emotions. "And they've tried to kill me and messed with my family. I can't just let them do what they want. Not when I know I can do something to stop them."

"Your dad won't be pleased."

"He doesn't need to know."

"You shouldn't hide it from him. He'll be worried."

"But I can't let him know. I have important secrets to keep."

"Kudo, huh?"

The blond nodded. "NPA and PSB might have found out about Vermouth's identity. My father might have noticed her as well, But they don't know anything about Kudo- _kun_. My father doesn't know whether or not he's still alive and Kudo- _kun_ doesn't want people to notice him. If I tell my father that I'm still investigating the organization through Hattori, sooner or later I will have to tell him about Kudo- _kun_. I can't do that."

Kaito only looked down at his mug for a while, thinking. This whole thing about Black Organization was bigger than he had thought before. It turned out he was involved in it not just as KID, but also as a Kuroba. Vermouth would not be able to commit her crime had Kuroba Toichi not taught her his disguise technique. The Black Organization would not be so powerful and formidable if Vermouth was not skilled in disguise. The crimes the organization had done, all their crimes with Vermouth's involvement, it all started with his dad, a Kuroba.

 _'What the hell have you done, Oyaji?!'_

For the first time in his life, Kaito was disappointed in his father. His father was the original KID, a renowned magician and a master of disguise. As a magician and a phantom thief, he should have known better how dangerous his skills were. It could bring catastrophe when used by the wrong people such as Vermouth and her syndicate. Numerous innocent people already died in their hands! Why did his father pass his disguise skill to Vermouth? That woman clearly did not deserve that skill! He should have had investigated her thoroughly before trusting her with that skill! Seriously, what was Toichi thinking when he decided to trust Sharon Vineyard with such a dangerous skill?

Kaito did not know. He could not understand what was in his father's mind when he taught Sharon his disguise skill, but there was one thing he knew for certain: a Kuroba started all of this, which meant it was also a Kuroba's job to end it. His father had started it, so Kaito must end it. He would finish what his father had started, both as KID and as Kuroba. That was his final decision. With that in mind, Kaito took a gulp of his water before looking at his classmate once more, this time with a serious face.

"What do you think of cooperating with magician, Hakuba?"

Saguru blinked. "Pardon?"

"I'm asking you if you want to team up with a magician."

The detective frowned in suspicion. "You're not telling me you're going to help me solve this case, are you?"

"Bingo!" Kaito grinned. "Well? What do you think?"

"No," the blond answered immediately. "I appreciate your kindness, but I'm afraid I have to decline your offer."

"Eehh? Why?"

"Kuroba- _kun_ , this is dangerous, you know that. Besides, you're only a civilian and has nothing to do with them. I can't put you in danger."

"You're a civilian too, Hakuba."

"But I have connection. Sources. And I'm a detective. Not to mention they've tried to kill me and messed up with my family's business, and it doesn't rule out a possibility they will try to kill my grandfather and my father. It's different."

"Yeah, and I am a magician, son and apprentice of Kuroba Toichi, a world renowned magician and illusionist," Kaito countered sharply. "I do have my own connection, Hakuba, and I do have something to do with them. Vermouth was my dad's student. Yukiko- _san_ was my dad's student too and her son has been in constant danger thanks to Vermouth. The organization wouldn't be so powerful if Vermouth isn't skilled in disguise, if my dad didn't teach her his disguise technique. See? You're wrong if you think I have nothing to do with them. And frankly, if you don't want me to get involved, you shouldn't tell me anything about this at all."

Saguru shook his head. "I told you everything because I want to keep you safe, Kuroba- _kun_. I just wanted to warn you so that you will be more careful, not to make you get involved in this."

"Well, now you know I'm not going to just sit and wait while you're chasing a dangerous criminal syndicate that have been murdering people with the help of _Oyaji_ 's student."

"But they may have been watching me! What if they start watching you too because you help me?"

"I'll make sure they won't notice us. Besides, we're classmates. We can exchange information at school. They won't notice."

"Did you forget that Vermouth is skilled in disguise? She can disguise herself as our teacher, as our friend!" the blond pointed out frustratedly. "This is why I choose to visit your home, Kuroba- _kun_. I want to avoid this possibility!"

"No, I didn't forget. I'm aware of that," Kaito replied calmly.

"Then you surely understand that school is a bad idea."

"No, not really." Kaito smirked. "Hakuba, did you already forget that I'm a magician?"

Saguru was taken aback. "Excuse me?" He was confused. What did these things have to do with magician?

"I am a magician, Hakuba. I create tricks and illusions," the magician elaborated. "Vermouth may be skilled in disguise. She may be a good actress, but she is no magician."

"And what does it have to do with Vermouth's possible infiltration at school?"

"My school is my territory. My stage. My theatre," Kaito said, then he grinned like a Cheshire cat. "She may try to infiltrate my theatre, but since she doesn't have a proper ticket or invitation, I can't just welcome her as my audience, can I? It certainly won't be fair to the other audiences."

Saguru felt a chill down his spine when he saw that Cheshire grin of his friend. Excitement, smugness, mischief, and even intimidation were coming from that wide grin, making him feeling uneasy. The blond decided he really hated that grin and whatever that was going to come with that grin seriously would not be good.

"That's an interesting analogy," Saguru commented, refused to be intimidated. He should not be intimidated at all because he knew the magician's Cheshire grin was not for him. "So? What are you going to do?"

"I'll punish her," Kaito answered. His grin turned cold and threatening. "I will trap her with my tricks and illusions, and then I will banish her from my theatre. Permanently."

"Oh." Saguru couldn't say anything for a moment, stunned by his friend's words. He was surprised and terrified at the same time. "You're very serious about this," he finally said in disbelief.

"Of course I am! We're going to take down a big syndicate! I'm extremely serious!" the magician replied firmly and stubbornly, making Saguru tired having to deal with him. What should he do to make this stubborn thief step back? He really did not want to involve his friend!

"Kuroba- _kun_ , please, you don't have to get involved only because your dad was Vermouth's and Kudo Yukiko's teacher."

"That's exactly why I have to be involved," Kaito countered sharply. "Vermouth misuses my dad's teaching. She uses disguise to kill people. My dad never used it to kill people." He took a deep breath. "And she uses it for people who want Kudo Shinichi dead despite knowing he is Yukiko- _san_ 's son. She has gone too far, Hakuba. I have to put her behind bars."

"Putting her behind bars isn't a magician's job."

"Yeah. It's your job, that's why I want to help you."

Saguru sighed. He was confused and frustrated. How was he supposed to react to Kuroba's mind-boggling offer? It was not like he doubted Kuroba's capability. He knew how great the magician was; who was he to doubt the prowess of the legendary phantom thief? Saguru admitted Kaito's help would be very valuable, but even so, he could not just let him do what he want. He could not just accept his help. Saguru was worried. He did not want to endanger his friend. Kuroba had been surrounded with danger only by masquerading as Kaitou KID. Saguru did not want to add his trouble, but how should he tell this to Kuroba without hinting the magician as KID? Seriously, why in the world did he have to be friends with Kuroba? He always frustrated him to no end!

"You're thinking I'm KID, aren't you?" the magician suddenly accused him, making Saguru stiffened in surprise. Did he just read his mind?

"So what if I am?" the blond asked back.

"Can you please stop thinking I'm KID? Because I'm not him."

"You do realize you're still my primary suspect no matter how many times you deny it, don't you?"

"Hakuba, I'm not KID," the magician stated stubbornly. "I'm Kuroba Kaito."

"I know," Saguru sighed. "I know you're Kuroba Kaito."

"Then stop thinking like you're going to give me trouble. KID may have criminals surrounding him, endangering him, but I'm not him. You're not going to trouble me."

"I will trouble you because this case is dangerous."

"You won't. Trust me, you won't."

Saguru stared hesitantly at his friend. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I won't be alone. I will have you with me, Hakuba, and since you've allied yourself with Hattori and Kudo, it means I'll also have them as my allies. It won't be a trouble if we share it together."

Saguru bit his bottom lip, feeling so emotional all of a sudden. "But I'm worried, you know. You're my friend."

"Me too, Hakuba. I'm worried about you, that's why I want to help you," Kaito smiled warmly. "I don't mind being in trouble if it can save you. It's better than having you die in their hands."

"Don't talk like that. I'm still alive."

"I know, and I intend to keep you that way." Kaito offered his hand to the sleuth, a bright smile engraved on his face. "So, do we have a deal?"

Saguru was stunned again, looking at that hand with complicated feelings. Then he turned his head to face his friend. His brain was thinking hard to come up with reason to reject him, but after seeing that big and confident and somewhat forceful smile, the blond could only sigh before letting out a weak smile.

"You will never accept rejection, will you?"

Kaito grinned. "Even if you reject me, I'm going to involve myself anyway."

Saguru shook his head. That would be worse than having the magician cooperate with him. Saguru was certain he would not like it when his friend was doing something dangerous like confronting the organization alone without him knowing. It would only make him more anxious.

"Fine," he finally decided, accepting the magician's hand. "We have a deal."

"Great!" the magician exclaimed enthusiastically. "From now on we're officially partners. Let's do our best, Hakuba!"

"Right," the blond replied in resignation. "I can't believe I agree with you. I must have gone crazy."

"No, you just trust me more," Kaito corrected cheerfully. "Alright. So. Since we still have much time until lunch, why don't we start inventing our magic now?"

Saguru blinked. "Pardon?"

"Our magic, Hakuba. I told you before that my school is my theatre, didn't I? Since we're partners now, that makes you my assistant. You have to help me create wonderful magic for our beautiful infiltrator."

"Oh." Saguru blinked again, then, "really?"

"Really. You're a magician's assistant. Be honoured," Kaito rolled his eyes. "Now, my assistant, do you agree to spend some time with me for our upcoming magic show? For your record, I don't accept rejection."

"I think I'm beginning to wonder why the hell I chose such a heartless magician," Saguru retorted sarcastically. "Really, Kuroba- _kun_ , I can't believe I let you work with me."

"Told you you just trust me more. And don't worry, I trust you too," the magician responded delightedly as he jumped up from his seat. "Wait here. I'll get our materials."

"Materials?"

"Yeah. Materials," Kaito smiled widely. "Welcome to the world of magicians, Hakuba." After that, he rushed upstairs, shouting along the way, "I'll be back in a few minutes. You can have some biscuits in the meantime!"

Saguru only watched as his classmate disappeared behind the walls. He sighed again. Seriously, he sighed too much today. All because of Kuroba.

"I still can't believe I accepted his offer." The blond shook his head, leaning on the sofa tiredly. He really could not believe he had agreed to work with Kuroba. He, a detective, was teaming up with an international thief! His father might get a heart attack if he ever realized this. He himself could be thrown to jail if people found out about this. Saguru wondered what it was that made him finally accept Kuroba's offer. He certainly did not visit his classmate to team up with him. He never had any intention to involve the magician in the case; he did not want Kaito to get involved deeper than he already had. He only wanted to warn him about the danger, not to involve him in the danger itself, but strangely, somehow Saguru felt content after making that decision. He was relieved. Maybe deep in his heart, he truly wanted to work with Kuroba. Maybe he had been yearning for their cooperation. Saguru was still worried, but he was also happy to have the magician helping him.

"At least I can watch him closely now. I will know immediately if he gets injured at heist," he mumbled. _'And hopefully this organization will distract him from heist—no—it will be better if he doesn't plan any heist at all. It will reduce the risk of him being targeted by other criminals, meaning the probability of getting injured will decrease.'_

Saguru smiled. It was a win-win situation. Perhaps accepting Kuroba's help was not a bad decision. If it could save Kuroba from whoever that wanted to harm him as KID, Saguru would not mind working with him. He would not mind at all.

~o0o~

* * *

 **Aaahh... finally it's done! I'm so glad to be able to finish this fic. Seriously, it isn't easy to finish multichapter story like this. There were so many obstacles along the way, such as bad mood, laziness, works, no internet access, and writer's block, but after all these months, I'm very happy knowing that I can conquer them all as long as I'm willing to! I'm proud of myself! I'm so happy!**

 **Of course, I'm very aware I couldn't possibly reach this final chapter alone. Without you all, my dear readers, I probably already gave up a long time ago. Thank you for reading this fic, thank you for leaving reviews, thank you for your favs and follows. I'm very grateful for your support all this time! Thank you so much!**

 **For those who wonder if this fic is going to have a sequel, I must tell you that I haven't thought about it. I really really have no idea about the sequel, so perhaps I'll never write a sequel for this fic. I'm truly sorry if I disappoint you.**

 **Again, thank you very much for your support. Thank you very much for staying with me until this fic reached its end. Thank you sooo much! Bye bye!**

 **With respect,**

 **Lady of Rain**


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